Seven Years, Seven Heroes
by snow-in-my-room
Summary: The Big Four. The troublemakers at Hogwarts, the ones in the middle of everything- Jack Frost, Rapunzel Gothel, Merida DunBroch, and Hiccup Haddock. And then, in their fifth year, three boys arrive at Hogwarts. Three boys who attract even more trouble than the original four- Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester, and Castiel Novak.
1. First Meetings

The Hogwarts Express. It billowed steam and let out piercing whistles, a familiar sight to the returning students crowding the platform. Among the initiates, four students stood out among the crowd, shining brightly in the threads of destiny.

A scrawny boy with floppy auburn hair and eager green eyes waved goodbye to his gargantuan father, scampering towards the train. He heaved his trunk towards the cargo area and climbed onto the vehicle. "Bye, Dad! I'll try not to embarrass myself too much," he promised with a buck-toothed grin. Turning around, he bumped into a slight blond girl also waving to her parent. The boy blinked in surprise.

The girl's hair was in a thick braid that hung to her ankles. The boy could tell that if it was unraveled it would clearly be really, _really _long.

"Sorry," he mumbled. The girl gave him a sunny smile.

"Oh, you're all right. _Goodbye, Mother Gothel!_" she called to the gaunt, black-haired woman smiling tightly. The boy wondered how the grim woman could be this pleasant girl's mother.

"What's your name?" she turned to the boy, still madly waving. She was very pretty, he reflected. She had a delicate, pale face and large green eyes, and her hair was the most spectacular sight he had ever seen.

"I'm, er, Hiccup," he said, a blush creeping across his face. "What about you?"

"That's an interesting name!" she said lightly. "I'm-"

Her reply was cut short by an enthusiastic "BYE, MUM! BYE, DA!" from the next car over. Hiccup craned his neck. Waving madly at a prim-looking woman and her large husband was a redhead with the curliest, wildest hair Hiccup had ever seen.

"That's Merida," the blonde next to Hiccup giggled. "I met her on the platform. I'm Rapunzel, by the way."

"Rapunzel's a cool name. Merida seems like a very…um…_interesting _character."

Both Hiccup and Rapunzel smiled at that. "Let's go find seats," Rapunzel encouraged, and tugged Hiccup along with her after calling a last goodbye to "Mother Gothel."

Eventually they came to the end of the train. Rapunzel slid open a carriage door. The compartment was, of course, not empty.

Seated opposite each other and apparently in heated discussion were the redhead Hiccup had seen a few minutes ago- Merida- and another newcomer who Hiccup and Rapunzel couldn't help but stare at.

He had tousled, pure white hair and a pale complexion. His eyes were an even brighter blue than Merida's.

"The Chudley Cannons, obviously," Merida said. She had a Scottish accent.

"No way. Holyhead Harpies kick ass," the boy argued. He had an American accent and a husky voice, and was stretched out on the seat like a cat. He appeared to be tall for eleven years old, much taller than both Hiccup and Rapunzel.

Rapunzel cleared her throat.

Their heads snapped up. "Rapunzel! How are ye?" Merida exclaimed heartily. "Ah see ye picked up a friend." Hiccup grinned back nervously.

"I see you picked up a friend, too," Rapunzel replied, smiling at the blue-eyed boy. "Who're you?"

The boy straightened. "I'm Jack."

* * *

The train ride was extremely exciting to Rapunzel. She was finally meeting new people! "So, Merida," she started conversationally after a few minutes of silence, "where are you from?"

"DunBroch. Highlands, you know. You?"

"I'm from Corona. I live in a tower," Rapunzel replied, then immediately regretted saying it. The others would think she was a weirdo now.

"A tower in Corona? That sounds really cool, actually. I live on Berk, where I try to be a Viking. It doesn't work out that much." The other three snickered.

"Berk- isn't that where the dragons are?" Jack asked, sounding intrigued.

Hiccup nodded. "Yeah, it is, actually. Dragons run crazy on that island."

"Aye wish aye could live there. Better than try'na be a princess," Merida sighed.

Rapunzel and Hiccup gaped at the wild-looking Scottish girl. "You're a princess?"

"Uh-huh. Me mum and me da want me to grow up all proper. It's crazy. But I'm never gonna be proper. See, it's like me hair. They're always after me to straighten it and tame it. But aye am never going to be tame," Merida proclaimed, and crossed her arms.

"Well, Miss Rebellious Princess, what House d'you think you'll be in?"

"Gryffindor, where the brave are," Merida replied to Jack, who smirked.

"Bravery, stupidity- most of the time they're the same thing."

"Oh yeah? Well, what house are ye gonna be in?"

"Personally, I have no clue. I don't care, as long as my House wins the House Cup," the frosty-haired boy replied.

Merida shrugged. "True enough."

Their compartment door slid open and the smiling witch manning the snack cart peeked in. "Something to eat, my dears?"

"'M fine. Had food before we came."

"Not that hungry," Hiccup agreed with Rapunzel.

"Me money's in me trunk," Merida sighed a bit regretfully.

Jack jingled a pouch. "I got money. What d'you guys want?" He opened the pouch up to reveal that it was full of nothing but golden Galleons.

"Seriously?" Rapunzel managed a little weakly. Jack flashed hera pearly white grin and paid for a little of everything.

"Dig in," he said and tossed a Pumpkin Pasty at Hiccup, who was eyeing the food hungrily.

"Oh my god. You're rich," Rapunzel said, still not believing her eyes. Jack shrugged mysteriously and tossed an Every Flavor Bean at Merida. Merida caught it and popped it into her mouth.

"Ew. Dirt," she said, but swallowed it nonetheless.

They were a half-hour away from Hogwarts when the door slid open again. This time, the visitors were a bit more hostile.

Three large students stood in front of them, arms crossed. They were big enough to be upperclassmen. One had freckles, spiky black hair, and large nostrils. Hiccup stiffened when the boy shot a sickly sweet smile his way. The other boy had platinum blonde hair and a permanent sneer. The third was a spindly, vaguely pretty girl with deathly pale skin, long black-brown hair, and oddly brown-yellow eyes. She smiled at Jack, whose hands balled into fists.

"Eve," he growled. "Whaddya want?"

"Oh, I don't want anything." Eve's voice was barely above a whisper. "Snotlout, on the other hand…"

The spiky-haired boy stepped forward and sneered at Hiccup. "Hey, Runt. I think we had an unsettled conflict from back on Berk. What do you say to a one-on-one out there?" He gestured to the train corridor, smiling dangerously at Hiccup. Hiccup blanched.

"Um, we're almost there…and I need to change. Maybe later?" he squeaked out hopefully. The blond boy cracked his knuckles.

"Well, you see, Hiccup," he drawled in a British accent, "I would hate to have Snotlout here beat you up in plain sight of these three. I don't think the girls have a strong enough stomach to bear the sight-"

"Shut up," Merida growled, on her feet. "Why don't ye go pick on someone yer own age?"

"I don't think one year makes that much of a difference," Eve put in and flipped her hair.

"All right, Scorpius. Let's drag the runt out and-"

"You're not gonna do anything like that." Another boy had appeared in the crowded doorway. He had wild black hair and bright green eyes that glittered in a mischievous way. "Malfoy, as much as I love to see a fight in the first few hours- it would be a new record- you're gonna have to shove off. No firsties get beaten up under my watch."

The blond boy, Scorpius, sneered at the newcomer. "Only because I still owe you," he grunted, and motioned for the other two to back out.

The compartment door closed, but the black-haired boy was still inside. "'Lo," he said, waving cheerfully at the first-years. "I'm James Potter. You four might want to get your robes on."

"Nice to meet you," Jack said gratefully. "First few hours and I already met a Potter," he added gleefully and shook James' hand. He hurried off to the bathrooms to change.

"Nice job with attracting a fight! Even I can't rile 'em up that fast," James told the remaining three with something like admiration in his voice.

"Um…thanks? I'd better be going," Hiccup excused himself. The other two followed after thanking James, who scratched his head bemusedly.

"Gotta tell Albus to make friends with them. Need him to get into more trouble," he told himself out loud, and rushed off to find his little brother.

The four properly changed into their robes. Merida had to tie the boy's ties for them. ("Ye never worn ties before? What's wrong with ye?") The train eventually slowed and rolled to a stop. Students flooded the hallways, laughing and talking their heads off. Jack, Rapunzel, Merida, and Hiccup tried to stick together in a little group. They were carried outside with the crowd and found themselves in front of the groundkeeper.

"Firs' years! Firs' years this way!" Hagrid yelled, looking no worse for wear than nineteen years ago. The first years were jostled and pushed towards Hagrid. Jack gaped at the castle.

"_Wow_." The returning students by him smiled at his open-mouthed surprise. "This is even bigger than Salem!"

"Ye were at Salem?"

"Visited," Jack retorted, and gestured impatiently for the others to catch up.

The other three sprinted to keep up with him. ""Ey! Calm down!" a sudden, booming voice yelled.

Hiccup, who was in the lead, slid to a stop, just short of Jack. He turned to face the intimidating figure- six feet tall, brown fur with grey markings, and bright green eyes. Bunnymund towered over the frightened boy, arms crossed, boomerangs in paws. "No need to run," he grumbled, and bounded off, making sure no one else wandered off.

Merida let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Stupid rabbit," she huffed, and shook her curls to prove she hadn't been scared.

"I'm calling him…Kangaroo," Jack decided. Rapunzel giggled and skipped ahead.

They came to a stop at the edge of a vast, inky lake. Merida leapt into a boat, closely followed by Jack. Rapunzel climbed in more hesitantly, and Hiccup barely managed to clamber over the edge. "All righ'. Let's go!" Hagrid thundered, and waved a giant pink umbrella in the air, and they were off towards Hogwarts!

* * *

**A/N: Welp. I have no idea how it went. Good, bad, don't know? Review, my dearies! **


	2. The Sorting Hat

**A/N: Replies to the review(s) are at the end of this chapter.**

* * *

Jack found out that he really, _really _hated water.

He would've been fine, really, if Ginger hadn't splashed him playfully. He already didn't like water after The Incident, but now the cold water dripped onto him and hit his shrunken staff, which he had shrunk with a spell and folded up inside his robe. It froze instantly and sent shivers up his spine. He yelped and shook himself to dispel the icicles. Rapunzel was shunted to one side in her seat and the boat tipped downwards. Jack yelped again and actually stood to get away from the water.

"_Stay still, ye little bampot!" _Merida tugged Jack downwards back towards his seat. "What's wrong with ye? It's jes' water."

"I know," Jack said cautiously, still peeking apprehensively at the inky depths. "I don't like water."

"'EY! You lot back there. Settle down!" It was Bunnymund again. Hiccup's ears turned red and he crouched down in the boat so as to not attract attention. A boy in the boat next to them snickered.

Eventually they reached the shore. Jack managed to avoid getting wet and leapt onto the shore happily. He would've kissed the dirt if there hadn't been people surrounding him.

A skinny boy with jet black hair and bright green eyes- he looked like a younger, more scared version of James Potter- got pushed into Rapunzel, who toppled over. "Sorry!" he mumbled and pulled Rapunzel upright.

"'S ok! Are you all right?" she asked, genuinely concerned.

"I'm fine. You?"

"Oh, I'm good. Sorry about that."

A petite woman called out to the first years. "Over here! First years, over here!" As Jack got closer he was able to make out black hair streaked with color and large violet eyes. She wore turquoise robes. Jack recognized her instantly- who couldn't recognize Toothiana Hy Loo?

"Professor Toothiana!"

The woman turned towards Jack and beamed. Her teeth were perfectly white. "Jack! Good to see you, my dear!"

The skinny boy who had bumped into Rapunzel looked at Jack strangely. "You know her?"

"Yeah," Jack said and shrugged. He bounded after the teacher. Hiccup let out an exasperated sigh and attempted to catch up.

* * *

They reached the doors of Hogwarts; the famous, oaken, nicked doors. Hiccup made a sound like a cat being run over. "What?" Jack asked him.

"I heard that we have to kill a troll," Hiccup squeaked. His ears were turning red from anxiety. The skinny black-haired boy laughed and shook his head.

"We won't have to do anything like that. All we have to do is wear a hat. The Sorting Hat," he explained, "sorts us into our Houses. Killing a troll does not."

"Oh," Hiccup mumbled, relieved but still not certain. "Okay. What's your name, by the way?"

"I'm Albus," the boy replied a tad shyly. "What about you four?"

"Aye am Merida, he's Jack, he's Hiccup, and she's Rapunzel," Merida rattled off, pointing at each of her friends. "Is yer father-" Merida was cut off by Professor Toothiana.

"First years, if I may suggest so, you might want to tidy yourselves a bit. You want to look presentable to the upperclassmen and the teachers," the professor explained, and looked pointedly at Merida. Her robes were haphazardly fastened and her hair was all over the place. Merida grumbled to herself and attempted to tidy her hair.

A familiar platinum-blond-haired boy snickered. "Scorpius? You're a first year?" Rapunzel asked, truly surprised. The way he had ordered around Eve and Snotlout on the train had made him look much older than he really was. Scorpius shrugged, and Rapunzel was surprised that he didn't look very hostile.

"Eve and Snotty can't really think for themselves. So, DunBroch, what House d'you think you're gonna be sorted into?"

"What's it to ye?" Merida threw back, remembering the way he had insulted Hiccup on the train.

"Oh, you know. I try to keep potential allies and enemies in mind."

"And how do ye know me last name?"

"Everybody knows your last name. Everybody knows your parents, after all."

"Shove off," Jack grumbled to the boy, who looked somewhat surprised. Scorpius held up his hands.

"See, I try and be nice and this is what I get. Might as well-" the first year was interrupted by the sound of the doors creaking open. Professor Toothiana gave a nod to the first years and they instantly rearranged themselves into a somewhat orderly line.

Merida got back into line, furiously trying to flatten her hair. Hiccup tried taking deep breaths. ("In through the nose, out through the mouth," he kept muttering.) Rapunzel was wringing her hands with nervous energy. And Jack? Jack was completely collected. Hiccup gave him a disbelieving look.

"Aren't you nervous at all?" he mumbled as they walked forward, single file, into the Great Hall.

"Not at all," Jack replied, and straightened instantly as he crossed the threshold, trying very hard not to show any signs of unease.

The Great Hall was magnificent the year that the four got sorted. Billions of pinpricks of light shone on the navy ceiling, and floating candles illuminated the faces of the teachers and the students eagerly watching. Jack took a breath to calm the butterflies attacking his stomach and patted Hiccup's shoulder. "Well, nice knowing you, Haddock. Good luck. See you after the Sorting."

Hiccup managed a half grunt, half groan. Jack managed a half grimace, half smile. And then, the hat started singing. Jack completely missed it because he was busy thinking about calming things, like snowballs and sleds. He caught something about "be prepared" and then the hat fell silent. The Sorting began.

"Bane, Zelda!" was sorted into Gryffindor.

"Calvin, Lou!" was sorted into Slytherin.

Several more names were called, and all four relaxed momentarily after each name, relieved that is wasn't anyone that they knew.

"DunBroch, Merida!"

* * *

Merida took a deep breath. She felt oddly prepared as she walked up to the stool. It was an old, tattered thing and Merida nearly scoffed to herself. "It's just a hat," she muttered, and pulled it over her curls. The brim completely covered her eyes and she tensed.

"Just a hat, eh?" a little voice spoke. "This hat is a special one, Merida."

_Just Sort me already, _Merida grumbled.

"Ah, rushed a bit, are you? No matter, we have enough time on our hands. Well, your hands, seeing as I don't have any. Now let's see. Oh my, so much loyalty, not afraid of hard work at all. Very good, very good. I see some wisdom inside of you as well, but my, oh my, what's this?"

_I don't know, tell me,_ she thought.

"A very, very brave young girl. So much bravery! Not afraid of much, indeed. It then seems you'd do best in…GRYFFINDOR!"

Merida tossed the hat onto the stool and headed hurriedly towards the red and gold table. They were all cheering madly. "WE GOT DUNBROCH!" a voice yelled. It soundly vaguely like James Potter. Merida smiled, relieved with the hat's choice of Gryffindor, and waved encouragingly at her friends.

A few more names went by. Jack tensed, ready for his name.

"Frost, Jackson!" Jack scowled slightly at his real name and strode confidently towards the hat. He pulled it over his silver hair with slightly trembling fingers and settled onto the stool.

"Ah. Such an interesting head, you have," the hat told him.

_I've never been told that before._

"Well, it is very interesting. You seem to have healthy amounts of everything- a little loyalty, a little wisdom, and large amounts of both ambition and bravery. I suppose it comes down to which one affects you more. Hmmm."

_Is this going to take a long time?_

"Ah, a little impatience, too," the hat said. It sounded a little testy. "I believe that your ambition is something that is a good thing, for both the future of the school and your future. That would, indeed, put you in…SLYTHERIN!"

Jack pulled the hat off his head and smiled broadly at his House. He scampered towards the cheering table. They looked nice enough, he decided, and sat next to a tough-looking blond girl who gave him a half-grin.

"Giselda, Mary," went by. "Gothel, Rapunzel!"

* * *

Rapunzel dashed towards the hat and pulled it over her blond hair. She waited eagerly on the stool. She had been anticipating this moment all her life, this amazing opportunity to be in a magical school. Finally, she had escaped her tower, and met new people. She had been having the time of her life so far, and now her excitement only heightened.

"Hello. Quite excited, aren't you?"

_Oh, yes. What do you think?_

"Well, you are a very brave girl. I see that you perhaps have not had occasion to show this…ah, here we are. Loyalty, so much of it! You would die for those you hold close to you."

_I would?_

"Yes. That can also be a flaw- keep that in mind. Oh, also unafraid of hard work…you'd be perfect in…HUFFLEPUFF!"

Rapunzel put the hat down, and happily skipped to the black and yellow table. A friendly-looking oriental boy shook her hand. "Welcome to Hogwarts!"

The very next name on the list happened to be "Haddock, Hiccup!"

* * *

The slight Viking stumbled to the stool. He donned the weary-looking hat and sat down, his anxiety increasing.

"Don't be nervous, now, I don't bite. Now that would be funny, a biting hat. Hiccup Haddock, was it?"

_Yes._

"Very nice, very nice. I see some old grudges- you do hate being the scrawny one, don't you? Poor Viking."

_I don't think you should call me a Viking. I'm not a real one._

"Oh, don't say that. I see plenty of bravery in you! Enough to be put in Gryffindor, yes, but I see much loyalty in you as well. Oooh! So much wisdom in such a small boy. Oh my, oh my, very smart. Enough cunningness, but wisdom, yes, you'd do well in…RAVENCLAW!"

Hiccup put the hat back, relieved. He had wanted to be in Ravenclaw, and as he approached the table, Jack gave him a thumbs up from the Slytherin section. Hiccup nearly laughed out loud, he suddenly felt so relieved. He slid in by a tall, pretty blond girl with big grey eyes. "Welcome to Ravenclaw, Hiccup" she told him. "I'm your prefect. Annabeth."

* * *

The rest of the first years were sorted one by one. Albus, who turned out to be James' brother, was sorted into Gryffindor. Scorpius was sorted into Slytherin,. ("No surprise there," Merida muttered to James.) Susan Zeller was the final person called up. She was sorted into Hufflepuff.

A chair squealed and the Headmaster stood. Nicholas St. North was an intimidating figure at over six and a half feet tall, with a long white beard, but as he smiled his blue eyes glittered in a friendly way. "Welcome to Hogwarts. Returning students, welcome back! Let us feast!" he said in a strong Russian accent, and clapped his hands.

An entire feast appeared on the four tables. Hiccup gasped and nearly fell over. Annabeth smiled at the wonder on the small boy's face and patted his shoulder. "Dig in before the others eat it all," she advised with a grin.

* * *

Dessert ended too soon for Jack's liking. Sure, he had seconds of ice cream, but he wanted to try the treacle as well. "They don't have most of this stuff in America," he told the girl next to him, whose name was Astrid. He reached for it, and then it disappeared. "What the-"

Astrid chuckled and shook her head. "I'm completely full. How are you still hungry?"

North stood up at the Head Table and announced a bunch of stuff that flew over Jack's head. He was playing with a spoon when everybody else suddenly stood up. "Where are we going?" he asked, also hurriedly standing up.

Astrid snorted. "You don't listen do you? I was like you last year," she grinned. "We're going to commons. C'mon." She turned away and poked Snotlout in the shoulder. "Move, Snotty," she grumbled.

A hand suddenly pressed a napkin into Jack's palm. He looked around, startled, but couldn't see a possible culprit among the flood of students. He peered down at the napkin.

MEET ME OUTSIDE THE GRYFFINDOR COMMONS. FOLLOW THE OTHER GRYFFINDORS. MERIDA

He chuckled and folded the napkin into his robe pocket. Peering around to find any prefects that could be watching him, he carefully edged towards the red and yellow crowd. He covered the Slytherin emblem on his robe and hurried after them, trying to keep his conspicuous silver head down.

Eventually all the Gryffindors stopped in front of a portrait of a large, pink-frilled lady. She smiled and sang out "Password?"

"Mellodoris," the prefect answered, and the portrait swung open. Jack lurked in the shadows, waiting for all of the students to filter through. Eventually, only Merida remained, pretending to bend down and tie her shoelaces. Hiccup stepped out from the hallway, followed by Rapunzel. The three looked around uncertainly, looking for Jack.

Jack jumped out. "_Boo_!"

The reactions were comical. Rapunzel clapped a hand over her mouth and half-shrieked, her green eyes becoming huge. Hiccup flailed and hid behind Merida, who drew her wand at Jack. Jack doubled over with laughter. "Hey Ginger," he wheezed, "whatcha gonna do, shoot sparks at me?"

"Shut up!" she hissed, stowing her wand back into her robes. "Get out from behind me, Hiccup."

Hiccup let out a sigh and relaxed. "Thundering Thor, Jack, don't ever do that again."

"Be quiet!" Rapunzel whispered, glancing around in a frightened kind of way. "We could get in trouble! And classes haven't even started yet!"

"Relax, Goldie. Mellodoris, by the way," Jack told the Fat Lady, who was staring at them disapprovingly.

"Hmph. I shouldn't let you in." The portrait swung open anyways. Rapunzel scrambled in after Hiccup, and Merida followed.

"C'mon, Jack!"

Jack held his hands up placatingly and stepped through the hole. "So, Ginger, is there a reason you called us here?"

Merida blew a stray curl out of her face. "_Obviously _there's a reason aye called ye here. See, that one professor, Pitch Black? Aye caught him doing something weird-"

"He was staring at me," Hiccup interrupted. "It was creepy."

"That's weird. He stared at me, too. It…was _scary_," Rapunzel added, shivering a little. "It was like he was…reading me. Figuring me out."

"I think he's just a creepy stalker guy."

"Maybe, Jack, but aye think we need ta keep track of him. Aye don't trust that man."

Rapunzel turned to Merida seriously. "I have Pitch tomorrow for Defense Against the Dark Arts. First thing in the morning," she said anxiously.

"What? I have him for Potions! D'you think this schedule is wrong?"

"Couldn't be. Remember, North said that Pitch is doubling up on classes 'cause they couldn't find anyone for Potions," Hiccup assured Jack. "But that seriously is creepy. We need to keep an eye on that man," he told the other three.

Jack stretched out, yawning. "Kay, guys. I'm going to bed. Night. How about we meet tomorrow here, same time? Compare classes and stuff?"

Rapunzel nodded. "Okay! I can't wait for tomorrow. Good night!" She bounced out energetically. Merida yawned and stumbled upstairs, and Hiccup and Jack left towards their respective commons.

"This is going to be an epic year," Jack mumbled to himself happily.

He reached the Slytherin commons and realized he didn't know the passwords.

"Scratch that. This is going to be a very _interesting _year." He curled up on the floor and waited till morning.

* * *

**A/N: Hee hee. Poor Jack. **

**Replies to Review(s):**

**x-SilentPyro-x: Here, have a cookie for being the first reviewer. (::) Your review made me laugh :) I've been reading a ton of Big Four at Hogwarts and Team Free Will at Hogwarts stories. Combining the two would be pretty epic, I thought, and this story was born. Thanks for the luck. I'm gonna need it :D**


	3. Odd Things

Before their fifth year, Rapunzel, Merida, Hiccup, and Jack had already experienced a number of odd things.

In their first year, Pitch disappeared on Halloween. He came back two days later, a disheveled, weary version of himself. Hogwarts was abuzz with the news.

The second odd thing that happened in their first year involved Eve Hallows. Jack was a rather light sleeper, and he had just gotten back from a meeting in the Gryffindor commons. He was dozing off on the couch when the door to the girl's dorms creaked open. Jack had instantly frozen, and he watched Eve creep out of the dorms unnoticed by her.

* * *

In their second year, Snotlout and Eve were hospitalized for two weeks. The nurse told Jack that they had been mauled by a wild animal. Then, Rapunzel smelled sulfur on Pitch's robes and reported it to the other three. They didn't know what to make of it and dismissed it.

* * *

In their third year, the four decided to spy on the door to the Slytherin commons. They each took a position in the shadows and watched the door for a long, weary hour. At exactly midnight, four students slipped out. Snotlout was followed by Eve and Scorpius. The last student was Pitch's own daughter, Seraphina.

* * *

In their fourth year, Hiccup was returning a book to Professor Tooth when he heard voices from her classroom. He found out that all the professors were gathered in the room- all except for Pitch Black. Hiccup managed to catch the phrases "demon" and "Winchester." He was suitably baffled.

* * *

In their fifth year, everything came to a head. It all began, as they found out later, with a piece of pie and a fallen angel.


	4. Of Pie and Fallen Angels

It all began with a piece of pie and a fallen angel.

The third day of the hunt found the Winchesters in the Impala outside a crappy motel, as per the usual. It was supposed to be a simple salt-n-burn, but the brothers found out that there was some graveyard visitation the night they planned to do the deed. It was supposed to be some stupid overnight thing. Dean was miffed. Sam was bored.

"This sucks," Sam ground out. It was about eleven at night. Dean was chowing on burgers from some cheap fast-food place.

"Cas would've liked the burgers. Hey, I want pie. Let's go find some."

"_Dean_."

"What? It ain't like you have anything better to do." Dean started the car and they were off, Metallica rattling the windows. Soon enough they found that the small town had a famous bakery, and Dean bought two whole pies.

"Dude. Seriously?"

Dean grinned and held up the pies. "I'm hungry."

"You just ate."

Sam's bitchface was ignored and Dean consumed the pies, leaving a single piece in the box. "For the motel."

Ah. The motel. Their room was tiny and had its own mold-growing factory. There was only one bed, so Sam got to sleep in the chair, and Dean hogged the wilting, dusty bed. Sam did research on his laptop while Dean snored. It was about two in the morning when the laptop lid was shut and Sam finally dozed off. It was about two-thirty in the morning when an angel appeared in the room without any warning and completely noiselessly.

"Dean?" Cas attempted to wake his friend up by shaking his arm.

Dean mumbled incoherently and flailed at Cas. Eventually, as the fallen angel kept shaking him, Dean groaned and stretched. "M'kay, m'kay. I'm up."

"Good. You were asleep."

"Cas," Dean greeted him. "Yeah. I know."

Dean reached over to the radio on the table by Sam's chair. "Are you going to turn the radio on?" Cas asked, confused.

Dean shh'ed him and pressed the on button. Liquid metal suddenly blasted from the speaker, and Sam leapt out of his chair, alarmed.

"Whassat?"

Dean grinned. "Welcome back to the world!" he yelled over the music. Sam groaned, stretched, and turned the radio off.

"I do not think that was necessary," the angel told Dean gravely, and nodded sympathetically at Sam. "But onto why I am here. I was informed anonymously that something important is about to happen, and it involves us three."

"Something important? Do you know anything else? For example, what type of _something_ this is?"

"No, Dean, I do not. I do know, however, that-"

A sudden blinding white light momentarily stunned the three. Before they had time to react, a deep baritone spoke, coming out of thin air.

"What is about to happen is crucial to the good of this world."

Dean's last thought was, _Was that George Clooney? _

And then, everything went black.

* * *

Dean yawned and sat up groggily. He blinked. "What the-"

He got up from the floor and stretched. "Sam? Did I fall off the bed or somethin'?"

No reply.

"Sam?" He peered around worriedly. No sign of Sam. Dean scratched his head and stopped. Was it just him, or did he have longer hair than before?

Dean cursed, remembering the voice. "Son of a…"

He rushed to the bathroom and gazed at the mirror. His hands flew to his face and he cursed again, loudly.

His stubble was gone, and his normally short hair was a lighter color, a bit longer and floppier. Checking his arms, he noted that most of his scars were gone. Castiel's handprint still remained. And he felt younger, quicker…less experienced.

Dean swore a third time, about the only thing he felt sane enough to do under the circumstances. A boy suddenly appeared next to him. He had familiar ocean-blue eyes, but his face was completely clean-shaven like Dean's. His hair seemed to be the same as before, but he was about two inches shorter and his trench coat was slightly oversized.

"Dean?" Dean nearly laughed out loud. Cas's voice had lost its gravelly quality and increased in pitch. The motel room door swung open and hit the door with a thud. Sam, version 1.0, stood in the bathroom doorway. His hair was still shaggy but no longer shoulder-length, and he had his bangs back.

"What the heck happened?" Dean noticed with a jolt that Sam was about three inches shorter than him and much skinnier.

They were all teenagers. Mother-frickin' teenagers.

"Oh, great."


	5. Mother-frickin' Teenagers

**A/N: Thank you all for all the alerts! They make my day :D**

* * *

They were teenagers. Mother-frickin' teenagers.

"Oh, great."

"What the heck happened?" Sam repeated, rubbing his face disbelievingly.

"It appears that we have become adolescents. Most unfortunate."

"You shuddup, Cas. I'm trying to think. This is a dream. Must be. Wake up, Dean. Wake up. C'mon, you gotta."

Dean was interrupted by an urgent tapping at the window. "The window?" Sam shrugged and peered through the curtains. "It's an owl. It wants to come in."

"_What? _Speak clearly, Sam."

"I am, Dean! C'mere, Cas. Look."

Cas stood next to Sam. "I am enjoying this. I am finally your height, Sam."

"Yeah, yeah. Just- look out, would you?"

"Oh. We should let it in." Cas pulled the window up easily. The owl let out an irritated noise and swooped in, straight into the bathroom.

A muffled yell and an angry hoot was heard, and Dean came running out shouting "Get it off!" The owl was comfortably settled on top of his head.

Sam tried unsuccessfully to stifle his laughter. Dean was running around the tiny room, flailing at the bird and cursing at everything in general. Cas seemed to be enjoying the sight and had an amused look on his face.

Eventually, Dean calmed down enough for Sam to firmly grab the owl. The bird seemed to like Sam much more than Dean and instantly settled down. "Hey, look. It's got a letter."

"A letter? You're worried about a mother-frickin' letter when your brother's head just got clawed up by a little mother-frickin' owl?"

"It's addressed to the three of us. There's some sort of seal on it, a coat of arms or something. Oh, here…it's from Nicholas St. North, headmaster of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Witchcraft?" Dean asked, instantly on alert. "I don't like this."

"Dear Castiel, Sam Winchester, and Dean Winchester."

"How do they know our names?"

Sam shrugged and went on. "Hello. If you are reading this, you have most probably already been transformed. I hope you don't mind; it will only last for a few years."

Dean gulped and made a funny noise.

"A few…a few _years_?"

"You have been changed so that you are at an appropriate age to attend a school of magic. I have done this with the help of two powerful friends; one you know and the other, you do not. Your mission is to save the school from the dark forces that threaten to overpower us. This is crucial to your own quests. If you were to refuse this proposal, the balance between light and dark would be upset. This would, indeed, cause more outbreaks of supernatural attacks, and you would find yourselves with too much on your hands."

"That sounds like a threat," Dean growled. "And they're asking us to go and fight for some school for witches that we've never heard of before. Sam, Cas- I don't like this at all."

"Oh, and Mr. Dean Winchester, I am quite sure that you are thinking that we train the type of witches that summon Satan and commit heinous deeds. We are not that kind of society. We channel the magic from within ourselves to better the societies that we live in. Rest assured, Dean, we are not evil," Sam read, looking amused. "It's like they read your mind or something!" he said, glancing at Dean.

"For all we know, they did," Cas muttered. "In any case," he said, reading over Sam's shoulder, "it seems that this quest is essential to our own mission. I say that we go."

"I do, too. I don't see any harm, and besides, he said that it involves the supernatural. I think it's alright."

"Well, I don't." Dean's arms crossed. "What the hell's wrong with you guys? Think about it. Some strange school, a school that trains witches, no less, is inviting us over to get rid of their problem. How do we know that this isn't some fancy plan cooked up by, say, Crowley?"

Sam sighed. "You heard the letter, Dean. If we don't do this, our entire save-the-world deal could be endangered. And I don't think Crowley can do this." He gestured to himself.

"Still. Probably a trap," Dean replied stubbornly.

Sam and Cas glanced at each other. A silent agreement seemed to pass between them and then they simultaneously turned to Dean.

Poor Dean. The combined force of Cas and Sam's puppy eyes proved too much for the older Winchester.

Dean groaned. "Oh, c'mon, that's not…Stop it, you little…_don't look at me like that_! All right, all right. If they try to kill us, we bail. And we gotta be prepared," Dean said sternly.

Sam and Cas grinned at him, both delighted. And that kinda made it worth the risk to Dean. "Hey, so any other important info this South guy gave us? For example, where exactly this school is?"

"Yes. There are very detailed backstories for each of us in here. And school starts on September first."

"It's in London," Sam added.

"Dammit. It's August twenty-ninth. We gotta get supplies and everything soon, then. And I am _not _flying there, no matter how frickin' big and sad your eyes get. Got it?"

"Yes," Cas replied. His eyes were bright and excited; it was a rare occasion. "Let's go."

He reached towards both of them, and in the blink of an eye they were in London.

Dean realized that something was missing.

"_Wait! My car!"_

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, I know. Transition chapter. Kinda boring. **

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	6. Transfer Students

Rapunzel was thrilled. She stood on the train platform, trunk in one hand and chameleon in other. She had forged Mother Gothel's signature on the Hogsmeade permission slip, something that Jack had finally convinced her to do. _It's not like they know what her signature looks like,_ she reassured herself. Nevertheless, a little pit of nervousness was starting to blossom in her stomach. Rapunzel was not accustomed to breaking the rules. It had taken Jack two whole years to convince her, and even then, she only did it because it was _Jack _and she couldn't bear to see him disappointed.

_I can't bear to see my __friends_ _disappointed_, she corrected herself, and promptly caught sight of Merida's bright red curls.

"_PUNZIE!_" Her friend hollered over the incessant chatter of students.

Eventually Merida was able to wade over and give Rapunzel a hearty pat on the back. "Aye missed ye, Punz! How was yer summer?"

"It was wonderful! Have you grown? You look taller."

"Aye don't know, but ye certainly look taller. And that hair's been getting longer, a' course. It looks very nice."

"Hey! Merida! Rapunzel!" The two glanced around and caught sight of Hiccup.

"Hiccup! I think you've grown, too! How was your summer?"

Hiccup shrugged. "It actually wasn't too bad. 'Least I'm getting a bit taller," he said, grinning lopsidedly.

The three friends hoisted their trunks up and looked around for Jack. "Maybe he's late," Hiccup suggested. "Or maybe he's early. Knowing Jack, he's probably waiting to surprise us."

The other two grinned and followed Hiccup into the train. They were approaching the end of the car when Rapunzel suddenly let out a little shriek.

Two cold hands had suddenly covered her eyes. "Guess who?" a husky voice asked.

"Jack," she giggled and turned around. Jack grinned down at her and tugged on her braid playfully. His silver hair looked as tousled ever, and his blue eyes sparkled mischievously.

"Hey, Punzie. You've grown a bit."

"You're still a lot taller than me," she replied and let out a little bell-like laugh.

"Ginger. Wild as ever, I see."

"Hey, Frostbite," Merida threw back. "Aye see you're just as incorrigible as before."

Jack bowed. "Honored to have you think so. And Fishbone, you've grown, too!"

Hiccup chuckled. "Does any of this make you feel like an old lady? 'Oh my, you're taller! They grow up _so_ fast,'" Hiccup mimicked.

Jack snickered and gestured to the other three. "Saved some seats in the very last section," he called over his shoulder.

* * *

The long ride to Hogwarts was too short for Jack. He wanted to know every detail of his friends' long summers. His own summer had been rather lonely- not that he was ungrateful to Mr. Moon for everything that the old man had given him. Most of Jack's time out of school was spent reveling in his new powers, trying to stay away from the other orphans, and reading letters from his friends. It was a lonely life out of school, and Jack was glad to be back.

"So, Fishbone, how's that dragon killing training going?"

To his surprise, Hiccup suddenly stiffened and glanced at him suspiciously. "Um, good. Why?"

Jack shrugged. "Wanted to see if there was anyone I could threaten. Y'know, last year we really gave it to Snotty, didn't we?"

Hiccup relaxed and let out a nervous chuckle. "Yeah. He hasn't bothered me since. How was your summer, Rapunzel?"

He had changed the subject rather quickly, Jack noted.

"My summer? Oh, it was, you know, the usual. Chores, drawing, brushing my hair- all in my tower. It's lonely up there," she sighed. "At least I have Pascal to keep me company!" she added, brightening, and brought out her new pet.

Pascal the chameleon instantly blended into her hand. Merida giggled with delight. "A chameleon! Aye love those creatures. Me cat's probably already at Hogwarts."

"How's Mor'du doing?" Hiccup asked her with an amused grin. Merida's fierce black cat, Mor'du, was one of their constant companions. Snotlout and Mor'du were sworn enemies, so it was handy to have the cat close by all the time.

"Oh, me cat's doing fine. Look, snacks!"

* * *

After a short food break, the four were confronted by Snotlout, Eve, and Scorpius, as was the custom every year. This time, the air was more excitement than hostility. "Hey, you four hear about the new kids?" Recently, Scorpius had started acting almost nicely towards them. The boys and Merida suspected it was just an act; Rapunzel, who was very forgiving, believed the boy.

"Oh, no, we haven't, actually. What have you heard, Scorpius?"

"Well, see, I heard from Astrid who heard from Pi Patel who heard from Cedric Chang who heard from James Potter who heard from…" Scorpius trailed off. All the others looked peeved. "But anyways, as I was saying, I heard that there's gonna be three new kids. All of 'em fifth years, and they're supposed to be transferring from some fancy American school to Hogwarts. And I also heard that North's hiring 'em for some secret surveillance business or something."

"Oh, really? That's funny, because I haven't heard anything from any of my friends."

"That's funny, because I didn't know you had any friends besides these three," Snotlout snickered.

"Shut up, Snotty," Hiccup muttered, his ears turning bright red.

"Hey. Nobody gets to call me Snotty except my friends, ya hear? Do it again and I'll mess your face up like a…like a dragon attacked it." Snotlout cracked his knuckles. Hiccup frowned a little, not very intimidated by the bluffing bully.

"All right, Snotty, that's fine. But I'm going to have to have you leave the area before Merida schedules you a fight with her cat."

It was Snotlout's turn to gulp. He fingered the long, white scar on his arm, glanced at the boy, and backed away. "You…you won't have to do that."

Eve yawned. "Can we leave already?"

Scorpius shrugged. "Sure. But are you certain you haven't heard anything else?"

"Go away, Mr. News Reporter, before aye kick you out. Literally."

The three disappeared from the doorway. Rapunzel turned to her friends, her eyes once again gleaming with excitement. "D'you think they'll be girls or boys? Oh, I hope one of them is in Hufflepuff!"

"Aye can't wait to meet 'em! Hope they're boys. That'll make 'em funner. It's exciting they're in our year!"

"I just hope they're nice. We could use some allies in our fight against those three," Hiccup put in, grinning now.

Jack nodded, agreeing with his friend. "Well, in any case, I'm glad things are already in full swing. It's going to be an epic year, I can feel it."

"In your belly?"

"Yes. I can feel it! In my belly!" Jack mimicked North's accent. The other three couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

The train rolled to a stop eventually. The four friends were fully dressed, and Rapunzel hopped off first, shining with unbridled energy. She skipped towards the carriages happily, Merida running behind her whooping, and Jack and Hiccup in the back snickering at their antics. A carriage rolled to a stop in front of them. Jack climbed in after Hiccup, glancing at the ominously darkening sky. A clap of thunder seemed to startle the carriage's invisible driver. Jack's eyes shifted to the front. He was the only one out of the four that was able to see the skeletal horses that drew the carriages, and he was mindful not to mention the deathly-looking creatures to his friends.

Jack felt a droplet on his hair. His eyes flew to the sky just in time for a thunderstorm to start. Fat drops suddenly splashed onto his face, and Jack grinned. He didn't mind rain; it was just lakes he hated. "It's raining!" he yelled over the booms of the thunder and the splashing of the rain. Merida glared at him balefully.

"Ah noticed," she muttered.

By the time the carriage reached the gates, Jack was thoroughly soaked. They joined the stampede of students fighting to reach the Great Hall and its warmth. Rapunzel called a goodbye to the other three and was swept away with the crowd of Hufflepuff's. Merida joined another group full of redheads ("Weasleys," Snotlout muttered ominously) and waved goodbye to Hiccup, pointedly ignoring Jack. Clearly she was still peeved from his prank on the train, which had involved a toad, a piece of string, and a mud-flavored jelly bean.

Jack grinned to himself as he recounted the incident. He loved annoying Merida- they were always on opposite sides of a playful war.

The tables slowly filled up. Jack was sandwiched between a seventh-year, Flynn Rider, and his friend Astrid. Astrid gave him a grin, which was rare. "Hey, Frost. Summer go well?"

Jack nodded. "You?"

"Pretty well. Dragon training's awesome, except for, well…I hate to say it, but your friend Hiccup kinda messes us up."

Jack shrugged. He would defend his friend from anyone, but Astrid was an exception. Hiccup _was _sorta dovey-eyed for her…

"Guess that's just not his thing. Anyways, I'm starving. What's taking 'em so long?"

Astrid groaned, but she was smiling playfully. "Boys. All they think about is food."

"That and girls," Jack replied, smirking. Astrid turned a little pink.

* * *

The Sorting Hat sang its song, as it did every year. This time it was a slightly somber tune that warned the students of coming danger. Jack put his head in his hands, bored out of his mind. Every year, the Hat's tune became progressively more and more depressing. Every year its level of urgency increased. The last two lines spoke about certain doom if the students didn't overlook their differences. Jack bit back a groan.

As soon as it finished singing, the Sorting began. Jack tuned most of it out, refocusing when North stood back up. "Hello, students! Today, is first day of school. I have special announcement to make! I request full attention." As soon as he was sure everyone was listening, he continued.

"This year, we have new students. They are from America." Whispers broke out. Transfer students! From America! It had never happened before.

"You treat them well, okay? They are very advanced. All three are fifth years."

Fifth years glanced at each other, excited. New faces!

"They will be Sorted now. Please, come in!" He was addressing the doors behind the teacher's table. A second passed in expecting silence. Then another second. And the doors flew open with a bang.

In stepped three students, still hard to make out in front of the darkness of the hallway behind them. Then the tallest one stepped forward, and twitters broke out in the hall.

He had a handsome, sharp face framed with tousled sandy hair. The smirk on his face identified him as a troublemaker; the effect was enhanced by the leather jacket carelessly thrown on top of a T-shirt. _AC/DC_, Jack read. A jolt went through him. He knew that name. It was a band. A Muggle band.

The boy was blinking in the sudden light, still smirking slightly. A few murmurs wafted through the room, punctuated by frazzled giggles. Jack refrained from the urge to roll his eyes. Girls.

The boy inclined his head slightly behind him. Jack could see well-defined muscles beneath the jacket. He wondered vaguely how old the boy was- he was even taller than Jack. The other two, who also happened to be of the male population, stepped towards him. The sounds in the Hall only increased. Jack began to ground his teeth as he studied the newcomers.

One was somewhat taller than the other, and drastically different than both of his companions. A tousled mop of dark hair contrasted with his pale skin. His eyes were a stunningly bright blue. _Like the color of my eyes, _Jack noted. For some strange reason he had on an ill-fitting trench coat that went down slightly below his knees. His face held absolutely no expression, something that Jack found to be more than a little disconcerting.

The third boy was the shortest out of them all. The first thing Jack noticed about him was his eyes. They were large and hazel, strangely expressive. He had shaggy chocolate-brown hair and a fringe that covered his forehead. Jack got the impression that he was still growing, by the way his steps were slightly inelegant.

The Hall watched the three with undisguised eagerness.

"They're tall-"

"How old-"

"Wonder what his name is-"

"Their clothes-"

North let out a chuckle that reverberated throughout the hall. The shortest one- who was only a few inches shorter than Jack- jumped. The tall one, who seemed to be the leader, instantly shifted his green-eyed gaze onto North. And the blue-eyed one kept staring forward.

"Hello! Castiel Novak, step up to Hat, please."

"Uh, hat?" Dean Winchester had a low, husky voice. He glanced at the shorter boy in a help-me-out way. The boy rolled his eyes.

"The Sorting Hat, Dean. Y'know, the one that _only _sorts us into the Houses where we'll be for a few years? Yeah. That Hat." He spoke in a sarcastic whisper that Jack had to crane his neck to hear. Dean held his hands up.

"No need to go all geeky on me, bitch," he whispered back. The ghost of a smile graced the younger boy's face.

"Jerk."

* * *

Cas ignored the banter of the brothers and noted with some surprise that the object that was going to decide his House was a Hat. Humans were strange, wizards even more so. He took it all in stride and placed the Hat on his head. Maybe some sort of internal scan was going to occur. He gripped the edges of the stool, preparing his vessel for whatever might happen.

"Hello," the Hat spoke. Cas wasn't surprised.

_Hello. I am guessing you will try and determine my personality now?_

"That it what I generally do, yes."

_I don't have one. A personality, I mean._

The Hat started laughing. Cas remained as grave as ever. "Oh, you are funny, you are. Don't be silly. Everyone has a personality. Even angels," it added gently. Cas frowned.

_How do you know this?_

"Let's take a look, shall we? Well, inside of you, I see experiences that define you as being brave. As having courage. Rebelling- now, that must have taken real courage."

_How do you know this? _Cas repeated his query stubbornly.

The Hat sighed. "I suppose you don't believe in magic. You see, my dear angel, you used to be simply that. An angel. But you had a personality, which was defined by the decisions you made. And when you fell, and joined the world of humans, they rubbed off on you. This was good and bad, because now you have seen the world, the _real _world, and you know how harsh it is."

_Reality is cruel._

"Perhaps it hasn't occurred to you that, in the midst of reality, there is some reprieve? Of course, the world of magic has its dark sides as well, as does the world that everyone else lives in. But in the world into which you have fallen, in which you have witnessed murder and death and cruel destruction, in which you are terribly confused- there is another side. There is light, and in that light is love."

_Love? _The term was almost foreign to the angel. Of course he knew love, because he loved God and God loved him. But the love that the Hat was talking about- this was a very human love.

"And there is love within you, despite yourself not knowing it. And you show it by being steadfast, by being devoted. You are the faithful one."

Faithful sounded right to Cas.

"Please, consider the idea that everyone- even those who think they are not- _everyone _is human inside."

There was a brief silence on both ends. Cas realized that the simple Hat was perhaps the wisest object in the whole Hall.

"Goodbye, and try and have fun in…HUFFLPUFF!"

Castiel's eyes shot open. It had been a long Sorting- he estimated it at about a minute and a half. Disregarding the wildly cheering Hufflepuffs, he placed the Hat onto the stool with much more reverence than when he had picked it up.

"Perhaps you are right," he murmured. And then he walked away, towards the Hufflepuff table.

"Dean Winchester!" North called out over the cheers.

* * *

Dean approached the Sorting Hat. He felt the force of the whole Hall's attention on him- not that he minded. He glanced at the Hat. It was disheveled and falling apart, and Dean bit back a snort. This thing was what Hogwarts depended on? He found himself wondering if all other schools in England were this crazy.

He picked the Hat up and placed it on his head. A musty smell drifted across his face, and he sat down on the stool resignedly.

"Ah. Very nice," a small voice told him.

Dean's eyes shot open and he stiffened, managing to bite back a yell. _The voice was coming from the frickin' hat!_

Dean compensated by letting loose a string of expletives in his head.

"Oh, my," the Hat managed, sounding a little shocked.

_You ain't seen anything yet, Hat, _Dean grumbled back. _So are we starting, or should I keep going?_

"No, no, that won't be necessary." The Hat sounded like it was slightly afraid of him. He relaxed again.

_So whaddya see? C'mon, hurry up. I'm starving, and South told me there's pie._

"Patience," the Hat replied, but went on hurriedly before Dean could reply. "Hmm. Let's…well…oh…"

It fell silent. Dean cocked an eyebrow. _You gonna go on, or…_

"So much pain." Its voice was rueful. "So much. For someone so young…"

Dean stiffened again.

There was a silence. And then the Hat continued. "Bravery in the face of danger. Courage, simple, rash courage, seems to be one of your best qualities…oh, loyalty, plenty of loyalty as well. Wisdom, er, not nearly enough to be a Ravenclaw…" the Hat let out a chuckle.

_Shuddup, _Dean griped.

"And ambition, well, present, but not one of your most dominant traits. Saving your brother by trading your soul… it's pure stupidity- er, bravery. It seems you'd do best in…GRYFFINDOR!"

Dean swept the Hat off with relief. Talking, inanimate, objects- never mind the Hat's bitchiness- were hard to get used to, he surmised as he strutted towards the red-and-gold table. The whole House was cheering madly, and the Head Teacher, a beautiful young woman with black hair and violet eyes (She looked to be about twenty- Dean decided she was still in his league) clapped enthusiastically, flashing brilliant white teeth at him.

He slid in next to a pretty girl with the poofiest red curls he had ever seen, gave her a big ol' Dean Winchester smile, and directed his attention towards the Hat. It was Sammy's turn.

"Samuel Winchester!"

* * *

_It's Sam, _Sam thought to himself ruefully as he approached the Hat. Of course, he knew that the Hat was really a Talking, Sorting Hat. Dean's reaction had been pretty funny- Sam was able to guess exactly which words his brother had been thinking after the Hat had greeted him. He was well-versed in Dean's favorite curse words.

"I hope you are not as irritable as your brother," the Hat told him, sounding a little reproachful.

_Dean's just hungry. Sorry for-er-whatever he thought. Don't mind him._

"Yes. My! What an interesting head you have!"

The Hat made various pleased exclamations. Sam patiently waited, eyes closed, entirely focused on the small voice in his head.

"Hmmm. Not so much faithful as ambitious, but there's a good portion of both in your head…Scratch that, ambition's much higher. And bravery nearly matches…your head is full of everything, my dear boy," the Hat said. Sam detected fondness in its tone.

_Uh, thanks._

The Hat was silent. Sam shifted slightly. He started counting seconds, waiting, listening…

After about two minutes- Sam head soft murmurs drifting throughout the Hall, some slightly impatient- the Hat spoke.

"I do like a challenge…Well, you are wise beyond your years. I believe your best chance is in…RAVENCLAW!"

Sam placed the Hat back onto the stool, and suddenly his ears, which had been oddly muted with the Hat on, filled with the cheers from the Ravenclaw table. He made his way to the crowd, unable to keep a broad grin off his face- _he had known it!_- and sat next to a scrawny kid with auburn hair and shy green eyes. The kid glanced at him nervously.

"Hey," he grinned, revealing his dimples. Of course the kid relaxed after that. To Sam, the boy was really quite young, but then he remembered that he himself was that age. _And about that height, _the once-nearly-six-and-a-half-feet boy reminded himself a tad regretfully. At least Dean wouldn't be able to call him Sasquatch anymore.

* * *

Hiccup's dinner was spent alternately glancing at the handsome new boy next to him out of the corner of his eye and communicating silently with Rapunzel. Castiel Novak- whatever kind of a name that was- had chosen a seat next to her. Hiccup could see that his friend was slightly intimidated, but nevertheless she appeared to be keeping up a rather one-sided conversation with the boy.

There was a long silence at the Ravenclaw table. Everyone was discreetly scrutinizing the new boy, who was picking at a salad. "So, you're a fifth year?" Samuel Winchester was, all of sudden, talking to him. And he had known Hiccup was a fifth year- and Hiccup hadn't even said a word.

Hiccup nearly choked on his pumpkin juice. After coughing up a lung, he glanced at his neighbor apologetically. "Sorry," he rasped, and cleared his throat again. "But, yeah. I am. How'd you-"

Samuel shrugged. "Your books," he said, gesturing to the bag that Hiccup had shoved underneath the bench. He had gotten caught up in Magical Theory on the ride to the platform, and as a result he had ended up carrying all of his textbooks in a backpack with him onto the train.

Hiccup scratched his head. "Smart." Samuel shrugged good-naturedly. Hiccup tried his luck with another sentence, just to test the waters.

"Your name's Samuel, right?"

Samuel smiled at Hiccup for the second time that night. "It's Sam," he said, and extended a hand.

"Hiccup," the boy replied, grinning. And at that moment, he knew that he had made another friend.

* * *

"Whaddya think?" Jack crouched by Rapunzel, trailing a few strands of blond hair in his hand.

"Sam's really cool, actually. He's already read all of the course books, and then some- we were talking about Theory and-"

"All righ', all righ', ah get it. He's a nerd, too," Merida said scathingly.

_Still grumpy_¸ Jack noted with no small degree of satisfaction.

"His brother sure didn't say anythin' ta me besides pickup lines," she added, wrinkling her nose slightly. Jack snickered into his hand.

"Well, Castiel wasn't very open about anything. He didn't say much." Rapunzel frowned slightly. "D'you think I intimidated him?"

Jack smiled at her with all his teeth. "You? Nah. You're way too nice."

Rapunzel grinned back at him, and suddenly found that his eyes were shining in the dark. How were they so blue, and why couldn't she stop staring?

Merida felt distinctly that they were intruding on something. She glanced at Hiccup, who was staring at the two wide-eyed.

She nudged him in the ribs, hard. "Ow!"

"Are we goin' inside, or wha'?"

Rapunzel broke her gaze, her cheeks tinted red. "Of- of course!" she stumbled, and tripped towards the portrait. Merida shot an annoyed glance at Jack, who was also slightly pink, and nearly shoved him sideways. "Hey!"

She ignored his cry and faced the Fat Lady. For some reason, she was furious. "Beyenor!" she barked. The Fat Lady jumped and swung open hastily.

"-Pitch. It was freaking creepy," a voice drifted from near the fireplace. Jack flashed a look at his friends. _Hide_, he mouthed.

All four of them dove behind the large chair at the back of the room.

"Anyone else?" It was a voice that Rapunzel could identify as Castiel's.

"Nah. Don't think the kids are dangerous," Dean Winchester drawled. Samuel sounded slightly dubious.

"You can never be sure. That one boy-"

"Wait. I sense presences," Castiel interrupted, his voice deepening slightly. "Four of them."

The room fell silent. Rapunzel didn't dare to breath. The next second- she didn't know how he had done it- the chair was being moved to one side.

The four were staring straight into the face of Castiel Novak.

"Ah. I thought it was you."

* * *

**A/N: eeek! Long chapter to compensate for the long wait. The boys meet the four under suspicious circumstances! Yay! **

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	7. An Abrupt Meeting

"_Wait. I sense presences," Castiel interrupted, his voice deepening slightly. "Four of them."_

_The room fell silent. Rapunzel didn't dare to breath. The next second- she didn't know how he had done it- the chair was being moved to one side._

_The four were staring straight into the face of Castiel Novak._

"_Ah. I thought it was you."_

* * *

The room was completely frozen, silent for an instant.

And then, to everyone's surprise (but especially his own), Hiccup scrambled out from behind Rapunzel and held up his hands. "I can explain!" he said breathlessly. "See, the common room- this common room- is where we usually meet. So we heard you guys, and-"

"All right." Dean Winchester was reclining languidly on the couch, looking for all the world as if he were watching a Quidditch match. "C'mon over here, you four." He appeared relaxed to Hiccup, but the other boy could tell that Dean was completely ready to leap into action by the way his muscles were tensed.

Merida and Jack crawled out looking like children caught stealing out of a cookie jar. "Fishbone's right," Jack said. He was standing in front of Rapunzel protectively. "We just wanted to, you know, see what you were doing. We don't get new kids besides the first years very often," he explained.

Cas nodded. His eyes were closely guarded. "That's fine, I suppose. Just walk over here."

Rapunzel glanced at Jack, eyes crinkling in confusion. Jack led the way through the gap in the couches in front of the fireplace. Hiccup noticed the way Dean had carefully watched the boy. He felt the same gaze on him as he followed his friend.

All four were standing in front of the fireplace. Hiccup distinctly felt like they were going to be told off. Instead, Dean cleared his throat, looking relieved, and nodded. "Right. Sorry about that."

_Cover story. Think, Dean, _Dean commanded himself. The South guy had given them a cover story, but sometime in the last two days he had forgotten. He racked his brain trying to recall it, and suddenly remembered.

"See, we wanted you guys to walk through to assess for danger," he started, "'cause our old school, Columbus? It was run by bat-shi…uh, absolutely zany people. They would release these government wizards into the school and have 'em hunt us down, and tell us not to get injured. And bam, just like that, we're forced to develop survival skills! Absolutely crazy," he said, shaking his head. _Great job. _He gave himself a mental pat on the shoulder.

Rapunzel covered her mouth, letting out a soft gasp. She stepped out from behind Jack. "That's terrible! Is that how every wizarding school in America is run?"

Dean's eyes went wide, seeing Rapunzel in ample light for the first time. "What the actual…holy crap! Your hair!"

Rapunzel was confused for a slight millisecond. Then she realized that her braid, all five feet of it, was swinging very visibly behind her. "What about it?" she asked, instantly overprotective.

Sam was staring at her, too. "How long is it?" Sam asked in a slightly hushed tone.

Rapunzel shrugged, still suspicious. She had been warned by Mother Gothel of strangers that were interested in her hair. "Not sure."

"So, Blondie, I don't think we've had the pleasure of meeting yet," Dean said, his insta-charm smile back on. Merida rolled her eyes- _oh, here we go again - _and heard a stifled groan from Sam. Dean extended a hand to Rapunzel, who was blushing fiercely.

She extended her small hand towards his. "I'm Rapunzel," she said timidly.

Dean stopped cold in the middle of the handshake. "No, seriously," he said.

"I am being serious."

Dean's face went blank. And then it crumpled, and he was howling with barely-repressed laughter, nearly bent over. "Ra-pun-zel! Best-name-ever!" he managed to wheeze, and let out several loud sniggers.

Sam forcibly elbowed him in the ribcage. _"Shuddup!"_

"Yes. That would be wisest," Cas said, looking at Dean as if he was "absolutely zany." "Are you all right?"

"I…I need a moment," Dean gasped, now upright but still red in the face.

"Her mum liked fairytales. Don't make fun ah her," Merida said, glaring at the Winchester.

Dean took a gulp of air. Jack found himself smiling at the taller boy. He seemed to be a jokester- someone Jack could to relate to.

Hiccup let out a huge yawn, green eyes bleary with exhaustion. "I'm heading to bed," he mumbled. "Sorry for, you know." Sam grinned at him.

"See you later, Haddock."

Rapunzel tripped after him, also exhausted. "Later, Blondie!" she heard Dean call, and she had to smile. Merida watched Jack, who watched her go, and stood abruptly.

"Bed fer me, too," she announced, and gave a nod to Dean and a wave to Sam and Cas. Soon, only Jack and the new boys were left.

Jack, who was stretching like a cat, felt three pairs of eyes on him. "You're the new kids," he grumbled. "I'm s'posed be examining you, not the other way 'round."

Dean shrugged. "I like to pick out potential allies," he said.

"What are you, a war tank? Guess that's what the other school did to you." Jack wasn't in a rush to leave. These students were fascinating.

"You're from America, aren't you?" That was Sam. Jack could tell that the boy was smart, perhaps as smart as Hiccup.

"Yeah. Accents are pretty revealing."

"So, Frosty," Dean drawled, "you seen anything…weird around here? Anything- oh, out of the ordinary?"

Jack straightened. Dean's green gaze was unnervingly intense. Jack's brow creased. "Define out of the ordinary."

Sam shrugged, desperately trying to appear nonchalant. "Anything not normal for a magic school." _Dean, the idiot. _Why did he have to go and arouse suspicions after five minutes of knowing the kid?

The white-haired boy shook his head slowly. "Not that I can recall," he replied.

Sam knew that Jack was lying, but he didn't press their luck. "Sorry 'bout that. It was a thing we did at Columbus- secure the area. Old habits die hard." _They don't die at all, _he thought, grimly fingering the knife hidden at his waist.

Jack nodded understandingly. "So this Columbus place- it was like an army school?"

And of course, that got Dean animatedly describing the details, with Jack laughing in between the crazy descriptions of the teachers and students. Cas glanced at Sam in a _I'm done _kind of way.

"Dean." Dean glanced up from pantomiming the actions of a crazy government agent. Realization overcame him, and he feigned a yawn.

"Long day," he groaned, stretching. Jack stood, and gave Dean a nod.

"I'm off to bed," he told Dean. As soon as the portrait hole had swung shut, Dean was all business.

"So whaddya think?"

"That Frost boy- he's smarter than he lets on," Sam murmured. Dean agreed and settled back against a cushion.

"I still don't think we should trust anyone else. You don't know- you just don't know." The older Winchester's features were older in the firelight, weary and lined with fatigue.

"North mentioned them in his letter," Castiel put in quietly.

"Exactly. We should at least be on good terms with them. You really don't know, which is why we should keep them as potential allies," Sam argued. Dean straightened slightly, then gave a slight bob of his head after a few seconds of deliberation. He glanced up briefly at the black Devil's Trap they had spray-painted hastily onto the dark ceiling of the commons room after deciding to make it their meeting room.

"We know they're not demons. So I'd say that sure, we keep them on good terms, but just be on guard."

"Very well. I'll be going now." Castiel disappeared from the room with the sound of whispering wings.

"They didn't know about angels when they wrote _Hogwarts, a History_," Sam speculated. Dean snorted.

"Whatever, geek. Told you you'd be in Ravenclaw," Dean smirked, reaching over to ruffle his brother's shaggy hair. Sam ducked and made a face at his brother. "I'm turning in," Dean announced.

Sam suddenly felt his eyes drooping shut. He gave himself a shake, finding that he was suddenly drained.

"G'night," he managed, and stood, barely keeping from swaying on his feet. He stumbled out, catching the worried glance Dean had shot at him. _I'm okay, _he wanted to say, but he didn't. Because he probably wasn't okay. Ever since the second trial he had been absolutely drained, and being trapped in the body of a teenager certainly didn't help. He managed to stagger to the Ravenclaw tower. Hiccup was leaning against a pillar, half-asleep. Sam shook his head bemusedly and tapped the younger boy awake.

Hiccup woke up with a jerk. "Wha- oh! Sam. I was just- uh, I didn't know the password."

"Dude. You've been out here for, like, half an hour!"

"Yeah." Hiccup stumbled slightly. "I couldn't get the answer right."

"What-" A voice came from the door.

"_What has no beginning, no end, and no center?"_

Sam's brow creased slightly and he cocked his head to the side.

"I…ah, I think it's a bagel."

The door swung open. Hiccup let out a weak chuckle and scampered in after Sam. "Seriously?"

* * *

Dean watched Sam's retreating figure and sighed. Things hadn't been the same between the brothers ever since he had come back from Purgatory. He knew his little brother hadn't wanted him to know about the aftereffects of the trials because of the strain the two were already under, but still. Sam was his little brother. And if Dean could find a way to help him, then damn it, he would.

The fire popped suddenly, a green spark shooting out of it. Dean jumped, then examined the flames for signs of disturbance. When nothing out of the ordinary popped out from the chimney, he grinned halfheartedly. There was something about this place that was magical, something that reminded him of innocence and joy- however sappy it sounded, it was true. It might've been the talking portraits, or perhaps it was the idea of shooting magic from a stick.

Or maybe it was the ghosts. They had floated into the hallway that the three were waiting in before their Sorting, gossiping cheerfully and chuckling. Dean had fired four shots from his Colt before he realized that the bullets had flown right through the figures, most of which were screaming in terror.

Dean smiled, remembering the expressions on the apparitions, and stretched, relishing the warmth of the fire. Today what he had experienced was even more mind-fricking than what he had experienced in twenty-eight years. First had been the weird coins and the creepy little pointy-eared goblin things.

Griphook, was the name of the one Sam had approached. He had glasses and gray hair on the top of his shriveled little noggin, and the brightest, blackest eyes Dean had ever seen. They had gone on some crazy rollercoaster thing- Sam was pretty green after it, but Dean couldn't wait for more- and then he had opened the Hogwarts vault.

There had been piles and piles of huge golden and silver and bronze coins, glinting in the scant light. Dean's mouth had fallen open.

There was a letter from the headmaster in his pocket that had been delivered to him a few minutes earlier, via owl post. It was addressed to: _Messrs. Castiel Novak and Dean and Samuel Winchester. Location: London, UK, Europe, the Earth, the Solar System, the Milky Way Galaxy, the third Universe. _Sam had found this hysterical, for some reason. Dean and Cas had dismissed it as a geek thing.

The letter had told the two in detail about the problem- a sulfuric scent in the corridors, an attack by a "wild animal," the disappearance of salt from the kitchens. It had strongly pointed towards demonic activity. The South dude had also mentioned something about four special students. They'd of course been the four that had been spying on them.

Dean, Cas, and Sam had each taken the amount of money indicated in the letter and then left for supplies. Now that was a whole 'nother can of worms.

Diagon Alley was a crowded, hectic place full of bustling witches and wizards and bubbling cauldrons and polished broomsticks and pickled frog legs. It was frickin' crazy. Even Cas had spun in slow circles with his mouth slightly open, attempting to take everything in.

First, they had been fitted for robes at Madame Malkins, where a girl had flirted with Dean. Dean had found out the hard way that wizards didn't know what phone numbers were.

Then they'd got their books. Sam had wandered inside the bookstore for an hour, and Dean, exasperated, had walked off to buy Potions materials. Cas had drifted off towards the Astronomy section, and when they met back up they had bought most of their supplies, save their wands and their owls.

Cas wanted to look at the broomsticks, and Dean reluctantly followed. Sam and the angel ogled the newest model. "_A Falconwing! The newest broom! Unbreakable charm, up to 200 miles per hour in just 5 seconds!" _

Eventually, the three had made their way to Ollivander's Wands. A creepy old guy with huge grey eyes took their measurements and stared at the three of them for a long time.

Dean had cleared his throat uncomfortably and the old man had reached for a box behind him and handed Dean a wand. The result was catastrophic.

The process repeated for about half an hour when Ollivander, who was becoming increasingly happier with each failure, pulled out a wand in a silver box. "Dragon heartstring," he murmured, "twelve inches, ash, springy. Try it."

Dean waved the stick in the air, mentally scoffing at himself. He felt like a little kid. But then, golden sparks shot out of the end of the wand and a warmth passed over the boy.

"Whoa," he breathed. Ollivander nodded.

"Perfect.

Sam and Cas each went through the ordeal. Cas ended up with a greenish-brown wand- "English oak, ten and a half inches, unicorn hair, unyielding-" and Sam ended up with a slender, light brown wand that had Ollivander looking at it apprehensively. "Elder, thirteen inches, phoenix feather, sturdy."

At the end, they had to spend eight galleons for each wand. Dean couldn't really tell how much it really was in regular money, which was annoying.

Next they visited Eeylop's Owl Emporium. The store had all kinds of birds and cats, in addition to the owls. Dean immediately found a vicious-looking peregrine falcon and named her Beretta. Cas bought a snowy owl and stroked its white wings a bit wistfully. Sam went with a large eagle owl that blinked at him sleepily. They strolled out of the building laden with books and extra robes and cauldrons and trunks and cages.

The South guy had magicked the Impala across the ocean and they drove to Hogwarts, following the scarlet train. South had been waiting for them at the gates. He was huge and Russian and tattooed. He looked like a badass. Dean could appreciate that.

He found himself nodding off and pinched himself awake. The thing that he liked best about this place was the rooms. They were huge and comfortable, a stark contrast to most of the crappy motels they had stayed in over the years. Dean climbed up the spiral staircase that lead him to bed.

It was a four-poster bed with red coverlets. Dean didn't bother to change; just sank down on top and instantly fell asleep. He'd need his rest for his first day of- shudder - _school._

* * *

The silent killer watched Dean Winchester fall asleep and smiled almost fondly. It would be fun to watch him die.

It crept from shadow to shadow nimbly, then found an open window and shot out. It instinctively bolted at the sight of the full moon. Oh, how it hated the moon. It pranced nervously through a splash of bright light and darted into the Forbidden Forest.

The Master awaited it, and it would not disappoint.

* * *

**A/N:** **Sorry for the long wait! I had a busy week. Oh, and big fat disclaimer:**

**I unfortunately do not own these characters, nor settings. Dreamworks, Disney, Kripke, CW, and J.K. Rowling do!**

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**x-SilentPyro-x: Aw, thank you, darling! Hope I won't disappoint. You've reviewed practically every chapter so far! Here's a cookie. (::)**

**randomobsession123: Here's your update :D My updates are kinda irregular. I think approximately every Sunday? **

**Comet Moon: Which ones? :P Well, the three boys (formerly men) are from Supernatural, Rapunzel's from Tangled, Hiccup's from How to Train Your Dragon, Jack's from Rise of the Guardians, and Merida's from Brave. Thanks for the reviews by the way :)**

**kiwigirl32: Thanks. :)**


	8. Classes

**A/N: Here's a slightly rushed chapter, only slightly late. I had a pretty busy week :) Enjoy the chapter! And remember, reviews make me write faster!**

* * *

Merida's curls jerked wildly as the redhead leapt out of bed. She had overslept! Merida raced to haphazardly make the bed. She made an attempt to smooth the crumpled black robes she had slept in, then stuffed her wand in her pocket and stumbled down the stairs.

"Hey, Ginger," a familiar low voice called.

"Dean," Merida greeted him, and dashed through the portrait hole. Dean followed her languidly. He was in no rush.

"Hey, what's the hurry?"

Merida gave her head an exasperated shake. "We're gonna miss breakfast." She gritted her teeth as she dashed down the stairs, Dean easily keeping pace with her. "Aye can't believe aye overslept! On the first day!"

"Relax, darling. We'll be fine." Dean patted her locks comfortingly. Merida shook her head again and leapt onto the banister. Sliding would be faster. Dean chuckled, a little surprised, and followed suit. Merida slipped past a group of Hufflepuff girls, all with scary amounts of mascara on. They stopped whatever they were doing and turned to gaze at Dean, whispering and giggling. Dean winked at them- the insufferable little flirt- and they all turned shades of scarlet worthy enough to be the Gryffindor House colors. Merida huffed slightly and pushed through the doors of the Great Hall.

"C'mon, Ginger. You can't resist all of _this_." Dean gestured to himself. Merida let out a frustrated sigh and rushed towards the Gryffindor table.

Dean slid in beside her, studying her closely. "You're not like the others, huh?"

"Ye're right. I'm not as shallow. Ye look terrible, by the way." It was clear the boy hadn't slept well. Dean had dark shadows underneath his eyes, and his face was pale, his hair sticking up all over the place. It was something that other girls might find appealing, but Merida just found annoying.

Dean sighed. "There's always gonna be someone ignorant of my manly charms. Poor soul."

Merida wolfed down her breakfast after glancing at her schedule. She had Transfiguration first, and then double Defense Against the Dark Arts. This year the teacher was a nervous young man who went by the name of Professor Grover. Merida tossed her bag over her shoulder, thinking that anything would be better than Pitch. She spun towards the doors and ran straight into something warm. "Oof!"

"Oops. Sorry. Didn't see ye," she apologized and looked up. Sam Winchester shrugged.

"It's okay. My bad."

"Whit do ye have in the mornin'?" Merida waved her schedule in his face. They exchanged sheets and Merida realized that she felt very sorry for the Ravenclaws. They had double Potions first thing in the morning, and then History straight after. "Oooh, poor you."

Sam grinned and tucked his schedule into his pocket. "At least we have fun classes in the afternoon. You, on the other hand…"

Merida made a scrunch-face at him and hurried away. Sam nodded a hello towards Dean and pushed through the doors.

* * *

He tried navigating through the hallways, without much success. He ended up at the library somehow, where a Ravenclaw girl was eager to point him the right way. Sliding into the empty seat by Hiccup, he gave the boy a friendly smile. The school thing would be a novel experience for him- it was like traveling back in time ten years. Sam yawned and ignored the gentle murmurs around him. He had realized on his way to breakfast that kids transferring from other schools was something of an anomaly among the students, especially if the kids were all tall boys. He'd been waylaid by about six girls on his quest towards food. All of them had been giggling or blushing madly. Sam had put his head down- his fringe was useful in these instances- and walked faster. Dean dealt better with these things- and besides, he wasn't _really _a teenager. It made the flirty teen girls harder to deal with.

He'd noticed that the effects of the trials didn't quite hurt him as much in this body. It probably had something do with being in a younger, more vital body. The symptoms came in passing fit-type things- all of a sudden he'd be hacking up blood, or his legs would give way. He'd been hiding it from Dean lately. It made him feel a little guilty, but he hated to see Dean worry.

The classroom doors shut all of a sudden with a dreadful finality. Both Hiccup's and Sam's heads snapped up, focusing on the teacher. Pitch Black.

Pitch was a tall, unhealthily thin man with terribly pale skin. He had black hair that stuck up and dark, penetrating amber eyes, and always wore flowing black robes. There was a sense of overpowering contempt when he looked down his hooked nose at a student. He gazed about the room in the meager light of the dungeons and his eyes, of course, landed on Sam.

"Ah. Our newest celebrity." His voice was as sleek as a leopard and about as dangerous. "Mr. Winchester."

Sam made an effort to keep silent and looked down at the desk. Something about the man sent shivers up his spine.

"Please, I'd like you to enlighten your class, as I am sure you are so…superior," Pitch drawled mockingly. Sam's fists clenched slightly but he kept control. "Do tell," the professor continued with a slight smirk, "when is a Veritaserum potion mature enough for use?"

Sam's brow creased. He had read this in the book… "After a full lunar phase," he pronounced triumphantly after a few moments. Pitch's expression soured slightly.

"What is the main ingredient of the complex potion used to relieve the symptoms of lycranthropy?" Pitch shot the question to Sam in a single breath.

"Wolfsbane. Also known as aconite, or monkshood," Sam retorted.

"Which bird's feather is used to create the commonly known Memory Potion?"

"The Jobberknoll."

"What are the three typical ingredients in a Befuddlement Draught?"

"Scurvy grass, lovage, and sneezewort."

Pitch's face was livid. Sam couldn't help but smile a tad smugly.

"What," Pitch's voice was a growl, "what is the main ingredient of the Draught of Shadows?"

"Dragon poison."

Pitch nodded. "The main ingredient," Pitch's voice had grown dangerously soft, "is dragon poison. One drop of it kills twenty full-grown men. I would advise you to be careful, Mr. Winchester, or my hand could _slip-_" the vial of green liquid that had appeared in Pitch's hand jerked towards Sam- "or it could _slip _straight into your morning pumpkin juice!"

Pitch stepped back and stowed the vial into his robe, quietly reveling in the horrified looks of Sam's classmates. Sam himself, however, didn't look threatened at all. He was, in fact, smiling, something of a challenge in his next words. "I'm sure you'd have fun murdering a student," the Ravenclaw said, perfectly poised.

Pitch bared his pointed teeth. "Twenty points from Ravenclaw!"

Sam bolted to his feet. "What? That's not fair! I answered your questions correctly!"

Pitch sneered down at the student. "Use better tone next time, Mr. Winchester. And say, _I answered your questions correctly, Professor Black._"

Sam's hazel eyes flashed and he mutinously kept silent.

"Say it, boy!"

"My name is Sam, not _boy_!"

"Detention!" Pitch was nearly nose to nose with him. "Detention," he spoke slowly, relishing his words, "Winchester, every night for the next three weeks. Now sit."

Sam looked close to exploding. But he sat reluctantly, still furious. Pitch glided by smugly and stood in front of the blackboard. The lesson was long and useless, a lecture about how impudent students in the Middle Ages were poisoned with some Sleeping Draught. Pitch went on to describe the properties of the draught, taking points away from anybody who appeared to be dozing off.

Sam seethed the whole class, mad at both the teacher and himself. It was just his luck to take away twenty points from his House in the first day _and _get detention. Detention for the next three weeks! Dean was supposed to be the bad student, not him.

By the time class was dismissed, Pitch had taken away fifty points total from Ravenclaw. Hiccup shoved his books into his bag and patted Sam's arm. "It happens to everyone," he reassured, "especially when Pitch is the teacher." Sam groaned and heaved the bag over his shoulder.

"I've never gotten detention before in my life, though!" Hiccup gave him a grin and a shrug.

"First time for everything."

A fellow Ravenclaw whose name Sam didn't know gave him a high-five. "Great job on upsetting Pitch," he whispered conspirationally and hurried away.

"Was he serious?" Sam gestured to the retreating boy. Hiccup nodded.

"Upsetting Pitch is a _good _thing," he replied. Sam remembered the way the man had looked at him and the shivers he had sent down Sam's spine. Sam wasn't so sure that upsetting him was good. Besides, he was their main suspect- there had been sulfur on his robes, as North had pointed out.

He determined to be careful around Pitch Black and hurried to his next class. _History, here I come._

* * *

The day was rather uneventful for Dean. He had been transported quite a few years back, to the good old days when he would doze off in the middle of class, or flirt with the teachers, or plan pranks. He'd been told off, but not given detention by the History professor, an old ghost named Professor Binns. "History, schistory," he muttered on his way to lunch, a little mad that the ghost had enough nerve to tell him off. _At least give me detention!_

Dean sat next to Merida and gazed longingly at the platters of food. Meals were adventures at Hogwarts. There were so many delicious-looking, foreign things that his chef-like instincts awoke and he had to try everything. In the morning, he'd consumed an excellently salted bacon sandwich and a delightful sausage that everyone called black pudding, for some weird reason. For lunch he decided that he'd try a kidney pie, which turned out to be a savory mixture of beef and gravy, and then Yorkshire pudding, a muffin-shaped batter mixture dipped in gravy.

Merida watched him delicately sample each dish with amusement. "Ye're a real food critic, eh?"

Dean licked gravy off of his fork. "America's got half of this stuff," he gestured to the food, and stuffed a slice of kidney pie into his mouth.

Sam hurried by their table. Dean called to him. "Hey! Sam!"

"Yeah?"

"Congrats on the detention!" Dean reached out a hand for Sam to shake. Sam's ears turned red.

"Don't congratulate me," he mumbled, walking away as quickly as possible. Dean let out a laugh.

"It's his first detention," he explained to Merida. "Poor kid's never been in trouble before. Didn't know what he was missing out on."

Merida grinned a little. She'd been to detention a few times before- not enough for her parents to hear about it. "It's fun, gettin' into trouble."

"Finally! Someone understands!"

* * *

After lunch, Dean had Charms and Transfiguration. The classes were actually kinda cool. Dean learned how to change his own eyebrow color, and he decided to test the spell out on Sam one day.

Classes were finished by five-thirty, after which the students had a general dinner-free time thing until nine, which was fine by Dean. He wolfed down dinner (Shepherd's pie, meatloaf, and treacle tart), met up with Cas, and found Jack fiddling with his wand outside the Great Hall.

The two exchanged stories about classes, and eventually starting plotting ways to prank Pitch Black (who was by far the most-hated teacher at Hogwarts). Dean found himself laughing _with _Jack- who knew teenagers could be this fun? Cas was quietly watching the exchange while doing homework, which Dean occasionally ribbed him about. Blondie and Ginger eventually found them outside by the lake, and they joined in the elaborate planning.

Eventually, Hiccup and Sam settled into the group. Cas asked Hiccup a question about homework, and of course Hiccup obediently scuttled over to help him. Dean gave him an almost-fond smile. It was scary how much the short Ravenclaw reminded him of a younger Sam- Hiccup had the fringe and everything!

Dean let out a contented sigh. How long had it been since they had simply relaxed? These kids seemed trustable enough. But there was more to it than just that.

Dean looked over Jack who was sketching out something in the ground with a stick. These kids were just that, kids. And Dean had only known them for a day. But somehow, the little group of seven had clicked, right from the start. Dean didn't know why; he didn't know how.

All he knew was that he had made _friends. _It was a foreign idea to him. It was always _work all alone_, except for Cas and Sam. Until recently it had been just Sam and Dean, brothers, forever together. Then Cas had come. And now, these four kids.

"Hey, Ginger," Jack called to Merida, who had flopped down in the dirt. "You shouldn't be doing that. It could get your robe dirty."

Merida sent a half-hearted glare his way. "So, Frostbite?"

"The queen wouldn't like her daughter the princess to get her robes dirty, now, would she?" Jack had a little smirk on. Dean instantly understood the clash between Jack, pale, calm and cool, and Merida, fiery, hotheaded, and passionate.

"Princess?" Sam looked a tad incredulous. "Is that, like, a metaphor, or…"

"Oh, no. She's actually a princess. Heir to the throne of the clan o' Dunbroch, eldest daughter of Queen Elinor and King Fergus o' the Lowlands." Jack's smirk grew as he impersonated a Scottish accent.

"A princess? What, is it like, mostly ceremonial?" Sam had that nerdy I'm-about-to-get-obsessed look in his eyes.

Merida snorted. "Not likely. When ah become queen, ah'll have all sorts o' responsibilities." She sighed, a little weary. "Ah don' wan' ta be any sorta queen. Ah wan my _freedom_."

"I feel sorry for the Dunbroch clan," Jack snorted. "They'll get a queen that doesn't know how to be a queen."

Merida rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'm sure _ye _know how."

"No, really," Jack insisted. "You'd better shape up. First, I'd suggest learning how to use a hairbrush."

Merida gave him a Look. Jack ignored it and went on.

"Then you should probably learn how to talk right. How're you gonna be a good diplomat if people can't understand half the things you say? I mean, c'mon!"

Merida stood suddenly, her cheeks burning. "Ye don' know whit it's like! Ye don't have responsibilities! Ye don' have te be a lady! Ye're _free_!" She huffed and spun, stalking away.

"Who pissed on her toothbrush?"

"Dean!" Rapunzel reprimanded the older boy.

"I'm just saying," he muttered, holding up his hands in a placating gesture.

"No, see, Merida has a lot of responsibilities. She's really…_limited_. It's sad, really, but we're alike that way."

"Alike?" Dean's eyebrows raised.

"My mother doesn't let me do stuff, either," Rapunzel murmured. Jack grinned at her.

"That's why we're here- to make sure you have fun!"

Rapunzel cracked a grin. She noticed that the students that had been milling about were slowly approaching the Great Hall. "Why's everyone going inside?"

"Special announcement," a Hufflepuff hollered back to her. "It has to do with Quidditch practice, I reckon."

The group headed into the Hall. Cas was the only one to notice that Hiccup was gone.

* * *

Cas slipped out of the Hufflepuff Tower. He would have preferred to disappear then and there, but he determined to at least walk to the Forbidden Forest.

The headmaster had made an announcement about Quidditch trials. Sam told him that Quidditch was a wizards sport in which participants flew on brooms. Cas decided to try out for the Hufflepuff team- he wanted to see what this Quidditch sport was like.

He stopped at the gates, hearing footsteps. Cas hid himself behind a tree and peered out. A boy, holding a basket, evasively skitted towards the gates. Cas's eyes widened in realization.

It was Hiccup. He had come out of the Forbidden Forest.

It appeared that even he was keeping secrets.

* * *

The shadow watched Hiccup carefully. The Master would certainly hear of this. It leapt into the Forbidden Forest, excited.

The first attack would be soon, and it couldn't wait.

* * *

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	9. Quidditch and Other Dangerous Events

**A/N: What's this?! An early chapter?! Enjoy this rare occurrence, my lovelies :) Get ready for a very broom-tastic chapter. (It was so fun to write!)**

* * *

Rapunzel wondered why they couldn't have picked a later time for a meeting.

The sun had barely risen and she shivered- the dormitory fire had been snuffed out quite a few hours ago. It was five-thirty, the morning of the Quidditch tryouts. Merida had gotten the idea of meeting up, since everyone who was trying out was terribly excited- they couldn't possibly sleep the whole night. Jack and Merida, who were already the Seeker and Beater for their teams respectively, decided to offer encouragement for the newbies. They had quietly discussed the finer points of Quidditch and elaborated to each other the positions they planned on playing. Only Rapunzel and Dean weren't trying out. Rapunzel decided that her hair would weigh her down, and when Dean was asked about it, he mumbled something about being allergic to brooms.

Rapunzel had brushed her hair late at night in the Gryffindor dormitory after their nightly catch-up. Jack had stayed back to watch her and had even helped her braid it up. She had been glad for the cover of darkness- her whole face had probably gotten red. She glanced over at him now. He was certainly handsome- and funny, and caring. Rapunzel was unsure of how to feel. Jack was one of her best friends. He was just that, right? Just a friend?

Rapunzel turned away, facing Hiccup instead. She didn't know how to feel about Jack- pushing it to the back of her mind, she focused on the task at hand: providing moral support for the nervous, excited Quidditch players.

At least, they were all excited, except for Cas. The Hufflepuff boy was sitting slouched in an armchair, perfectly calm, and a little blank. Hmmm. Maybe the blankness was his way of showing that he was nervous.

"Cas?" she asked softly. "You okay?" Cas turned to look at her, the same tranquil expression on his face. He nodded.

"I am well, thanks. I don't think Hiccup is, however."

Hiccup hadn't ever tried out for the team and looked a little pale. Rapunzel had to smile. She knew that Snotlout was bound to give his cousin grief if Hiccup didn't make it; but Rapunzel was confident in her friend and told him so.

"Hey, Sam, what's the order of the tryouts?"

"Um, I think it's Ravenclaw first, and then Hufflpuff, Slytherins, and Gryffindors."

"Oh good," Hiccup sighed. "Better to get it over with quickly."

* * *

"All right! All trying out for Seeker, over here! Chasers, here, and Beaters, there. We have three spots open this year; one Beater, one Chaser, and one Seeker. Now, the first position that will be decided is…Beater."

Both Hiccup and Sam relaxed. Sam had decided to try out for Chaser, Hiccup for Seeker. They had just warmed up- it was Sam's first time on a broom, and he wasn't half bad. They watched the potential Beaters whump around Bludgers with thick clubs. Hiccup was a great deal more nervous than Sam; who looked like he was enjoying the ordeal. Hiccup tried taking deep breaths, clutching the old broom in his hand with an iron grip. The, er, _training _that he had done at home would hopefully come in handy here. He was nervous nonetheless.

Thankfully, Rapunzel, Dean, Jack, Cas, and Merida were sitting in the stands. Rapunzel and Merida yelled out encouragement occasionally, Jack, Cas, and Dean sending thumbs-up their way. All of a sudden, a Beater had been chosen, and Annabeth was calling out the next position.

"Seekers, this way!"

Sam patted the younger boy's shoulder. Hiccup took another deep breath, his hands trembling. He followed the other Seekers towards Annabeth and sized them up anxiously. There was a burly, clumsy-looking boy that Hiccup eliminated from potential competition. The other two students were wiry and lithe-looking. Hiccup's heart rattled in his chest as Annabeth looked at him…and then past him. "Rochelle, how about we time you first? So what we'll do, I'll release the Snitch and time you on how long it takes to catch it. Sounds fair?" At a murmur from the four students, Annabeth took the case out as Giselda Rochelle ricocheted into the air.

Hiccup watched the others carefully and uneasily. Giselda did an okay job- not too shabby, not too brilliant. The next player was the big clumsy boy named Clover. He didn't do very well, which was what Hiccup had expected. The penultimate competitor was a tall, lithe boy named Lysander. He caught the Snitch in just under three minutes- it was apparent that he was going to be Hiccup's hardest competition. Annabeth nodded to Hiccup. He took a last deep, shaky breath and kicked off the pitch into the air.

A whistle from Dean and a "_Go, Hiccup!" _from Rapunzel graced his ears. Suddenly, with the wind in his hair and a soaring feeling in his stomach, Hiccup felt unaccountably ecstatic. He did a warm-up loop-de-loop, smiled grimly, and leveled the broom with his ground. For the first time in his life he was absolutely sure that he would not fail.

_Let's do this._

The Snitch was unclasped and the golden ball whizzed into the air past his ear. He felt some animalistic instinct take over and dipped the broom, rushing towards the golden ball, straight towards the ground. The sphere leveled up and Hiccup pulled forward, shooting after the Snitch in an aerial cat-and-mouse game. Dipping and darting and soaring- Hiccup and the broom were one object, and the Snitch was their target. It was getting closer, closer….

It zipped straight up. Hiccup pointed the broom's handle up and shot into the sky. The Snitch's wings were fluttering frantically, and Hiccup flattened himself against the broom handle.

_Just a little closer…_His hand clapped around the Snitch, its wings fluttering weakly in protest. The muted sound in his ear turned into hoots and whistles. He pulled the broom so that it headed downwards and dropped gently onto the ground. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, and a faint, excited buzzing sounded in his ears.

"Two minutes flat!" Annabeth read the timer a bit disbelievingly. "Hiccup! That was amazing!"

Hiccup let out a long, relieved sigh. _He had made the team! _"Thanks," he murmured, a huge smile rooting itself onto his face. Sam gave him a double-thumbs-up. Annabeth called the Chasers up.

Hiccup did a little dance on the sidelines. Rapunzel's clear laugh sounded behind him. She high-fived him and they both turned to watch Sam. Hiccup was still smiling.

_I'm not Hiccup the Useless anymore._

* * *

Sam and Hiccup, the new members of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, wished Cas good luck and settled into the stands. Dean gave both of them enthusiastic fistbumps. "I knew you two'd get it! That was pretty awesome, dude," he told Hiccup. Hiccup smiled good-naturedly.

"Thanks, Dean. I hope Cas makes it in, too."

The blue-eyed Hufflepuff was picking at his broom. He was trying out for Seeker. They'd seen him warm-up- he looked like a natural, fast and agile. Hiccup leaned forward expectantly as Cas's turn came up.

Cas was excited to be a part of this…_Quidditch_ game. Dean had persuaded him to take a day off from the search and "live a little," whatever that meant. Cas studied the broomstick. Brooms were generally used for cleaning, as he gathered, but in this magical world apparently they were used for flying. His broom was very responsive to his touch. It should be relatively easy for the broom to catch up to the golden winged ball, he hypothesized. The team captain released the golden winged ball and Cas leaned the broom towards it. The ball changed directions suddenly- apparently it was sentient, and intent on avoiding Cas. Cas relied on his instincts and the broom weaved through the air, close behind the golden winged ball.

The broom eventually caught up to the golden winged ball, as Cas knew it would. He carefully reached his hand towards it, and his fingers snapped shut around the warm, thrumming sphere. He headed gently towards the ground, the ball encased in his hand, and he handed it to the captain.

"Very nice. Three and a half minutes."

After waiting for the rest of the students to complete their trial, Cas was pleased to note that his time had been fastest. The captain shook his hand and informed him that he was now the Hufflepuff Seeker. Cas thanked her and turned around straight into Dean and Jack, who were cheering loudly and offering him their hands. Cas slapped their hands a little reluctantly- he was still confused by this "high-fiving" ritual- and congratulated Sam and Hiccup again for making the team. Merida and Rapunzel both told him that he had been great. The seven headed inside, all of them happily chattering along.

* * *

Dean had watched the Quidditch trials with an effort. His stomach swooped unpleasantly every time the brooms changed directions at a high speed. Now that they were over- at least for Sam, Hiccup, and Cas- he relaxed. Lunch was delicious as usual. It was after he ate, during the Slytherin trials, that his problems began.

See, there was an annoying little twerp in Slytherin named Snotlout. _Snotlout_. Of all the names to choose, why would his parents name him Snotlout? In any case, this Snotlout kid had an attitude to match his name. So after lunch, when he walked straight up to Dean, Dean knew there would be trouble.

"Hey, Winchester. Heard all your friends tried out for Quidditch- 'cept for you. Any reason why?"

"Don't think it matters to you," Dean replied coolly, straightening to his full height. He was a couple of inches taller than Snotlout.

Snotlout snorted and tilted his head up to look Dean in the eyes. "Ya know what I think?"

Dean folded his arms over his chest. He put his best who-do-you-think-you-are? face on. "Personally, I don't really wanna know, Snotty."

"I think," he said slowly, "I think you're just a prissy scaredy-cat afraid of flying."

"I think," Dean growled, "I think you're just an annoying little bitch that needs to mind his own business."

Snotlout's meaty hands curled into fists. "What's wrong, Winchester? Afraid of flying? Huh?"

"Not on your life."

"Then I dare you to try out for the team." Snotlout folded his arms over his chest so that his pose matched Dean's. "You gonna try out, or are you gonna turn my dare down like a…like a scared little girl?"

Dean had never, ever turned down a dare in his life. Caught away in the competition, he opened his stupid mouth. "I ain't a scared little girl. I'll show you, you little twerp. I'm trying out for Quidditch. Right now."

Snotlout grinned maliciously. And Dena realized his idiotic mistake. "I'll see how well you do, then."

* * *

_Why the hell did I agree to this?_

Dean clutched the broom and tried not to think about what he was about to attempt. He clenched his teeth and shook his head.

_Ladies and gentlemen, the great Dean Winchester: helped stop the apocalypse, survived Hell, saved mankind from certain death, and is deathly afraid of flying._

"I'm pathetic," he muttered to himself, but it didn't keep him from trembling.

"C'mon Dean!"

"You can do this, Dean!"

"No I can't," he moaned, and gripped the broom tighter. He knew his face was probably white and he was shaking from head to toe, but he couldn't back out. Not now.

"'Kay guys, listen up!" The Gryffindor team captain was a tall, green-eyed, black-haired boy named James. "The warm-up round is starting now. Everyone, circle the pitch two times in an _orderly fashion. _Ready?" A harsh whistle sounded and Dean kicked off weakly from the ground.

It actually wasn't too bad, if he went slowly. He urged the broom forwards at a steady pace and allowed himself to relax slightly. A red-haired girl went whizzing past him and he found himself knocked to one side at an alarming pace. _Oh god, oh god…_the broom was out of control, skidding this way and that, blurring the colors of the world around. Dean looked down.

_The ground was so far away…_He gritted his teeth, clutching the broom handle even tighter (if that was possible) and forced the broomstick to slow down. Humming Metallica to calm his wildly beating heart down, he managed to survive the last lap and leaned the handle downwards. Of course, the stupid broom shot him down at the speed of light.

The ground was coming up to meet Dean at an alarming rate. He let out a squeak (a very _manly _squeak) and forced the handle upwards. It was a close shave, but he toppled to the ground safely and lay there, spread-eagled, groaning.

"You okay, Dean?" Lily Potter was looking down at him, concerned. Dean let his eyes flutter shut.

"Fine," he murmured, making no attempt to get up. Hugo Weasley chuckled and offered a hand. Dean took it wearily and propped himself up against his broom. "That," he panted, "was terrible."

"Beaters, over here!" James clapped his hands twice.

Dean sighed. He had discussed his options with Sam and decided that Beater would be the best position for him. He trudged over to James and stood waiting, still trembling. Now would be the real test.

From the stands a cry of "Winchester the priss!" rang throughout the pitch. Dean's ears turned red and he turned to the stands and made a rude gesture at the green-and-silver crowd, who gasped as one entity. Merida and Jack both whooped with laughter. Rapunzel was fanning her face as if she was embarrassed. Dean allowed himself a small, tense smile, and turned back to the task at hand.

_Why am I making such a big deal about a stupid broomstick?_ "C'mon, Winchester. Suck it up," he growled. He punched his palm and squared his shoulders, taking the bat that the captain gave him and thumping it on the ground . He was not a priss.

"I can do this. I can do this." His fellow Gryffindors were already in the air. He kicked off hard, determined. _I'm not a priss. I'm a Winchester._

He didn't notice how high he had gone; just kept his eyes on the Bludger. The thing reboundedtowards him like it was possessed. To hit it, he had to take his hands off of the broom…

"I'm not a priss," he muttered. He swung wildly at the black ball and it shot away towards a kid and smacked the kid in the knee.

_One down, two to go. _Dean swooped the broom downwards. He didn't even care about the flying part anymore. He wasn't a priss- he was a Winchester. And he would win.

Another kid got bludgeoned in the wrist. One left to beat.

The Bludger changed directions and whizzed straight at Dean. He reflexively ducked and it simply looped around. Now it was chasing him, and he weaved and twisted wildly to get it off his tail. It followed him relentlessly, and he realized that to win this thing he'd have to _turn around on the broom and hit it. _

"I can't!" he muttered and dove another attack. "_I can't!" _

"_Winchester the priss!" _he heard from the stands. And something gripped him, possessed him, and he crouched on his knees, balanced, lifted his arms, and turned around on the broom.

"_I'M NOT A PRISS!" _he howled aloud to the whole Quidditch Pitch and whacked the Bludger squarely towards the last competitor. It hit the boy on the nose, and Dean knew nothing but triumph.

"YES!" he hollered, both arms raised towards the sky in victory, unaware of the position that his broom was in. All Dean knew was that triumph was his- he had overcome his fear.

As it happened, the broom was pointed straight towards the ground. Dean ungracefully face planted, then popped straight up, still maniacally grinning. James was doubled over with laughter, but he shook Dean's hand heartily.

"Welcome to the team, Dean."

Dean smiled broadly. "Thanks."

His friends and his brother suddenly swarmed him-

"I knew you could do it!"

"Tha' was bloody awesome!"

"You were amazing!"

For a minute, the atmosphere was perfect. The seven simply beamed at each other. Dean felt like laughing out loud- he was immeasurably happy, for some reason. Eventually, he ruffled Sam's hair.

"No chick-flick moments," he reminded. And they were off, milling towards Hogwarts in the large group of students, all of them still smiling.

The day started out beautifully, and it still was nice by the time Dean's trial ended. A soft breeze wafted through their hair, and the bright sun warmed their backs. But as they slowly approached the school, something very peculiar started to transpire.

The sky was clear and innocent one moment; the other, black clouds were swirling in at an inhuman speed, corrupting the beautiful day. With it, the wind grew agitated. The supervising teachers, Mr. Sanderson and E. Aster Bunnymund, looked up nervously and urged the students onwards. The sky roiled in conflict, blackening with each second.

Dean's grip tightened around the Colt hidden under his robes. Next to him, Sam and Cas tensed.

All of a sudden, one of the dark clouds became animated. Dean blinked hard, but no, it was still there- a black horse was galloping from the cloud. The students gasped and stopped cold.

The horse was braided out of strands of black dust. It galloped in circles, each time, coming closer. Somehow, teachers and students alike were frozen to the spot as a sickly fear spread throughout their minds. Dean couldn't move anything as a blind, raw terror coursed through his veins and froze his muscles. It was pure fear that gave the horse fuel; it fed off of the waves of panic roiling off from the group of students.

It galloped straight for a small boy in a Hufflepuff robe.

Jack Frost gasped. The horse was coming straight for Jamie Bennet-! Jamie was the second-year that Jack had known forever. Jamie's mother and father were both Aurors and had been killed many years ago. All he had was his little sister Sophie, and Jack felt a certain obligation to watch over him. As he watched, unable to move himself, the horse flew at Jamie and right through him!

Particles of sand formed a great black sphere that held the boy tight. Jack couldn't see Jamie- the orb completely encased him. _Jack had to do something! _

In panic, he fumbled for the staff in his pocket. It was the size of a wand now… "_Engorgio,"_ he whispered. It elongated and Jack was gripping a familiar worn, wooden staff.

"_Glacio!" _he heard himself shout and a sheet of pure ice flew at the sand and hardened the black particles. At the same time, two shots rang out and the black form started smoking and hissing. The gunshots broke the fearful silence and everyone was suddenly panicking and fighting each other to get back to the safe castle. Jack didn't want to freeze a student, but he couldn't just stand there. He focused his powers and shot waves of frost at the sphere- hoping and praying that it would stop what it was doing to Jamie.

"_CAS!" _The angel had been nearly swept away in the crowd and Sam desperately grabbed onto his sleeve. "The bullets! They aren't working!"

Cas allowed himself to be pulled towards the brothers. "They aren't…what is this creature?"

"I don't know!" Dean had to yell to be heard over the panicked students. "Try using your angel mojo!"

Cas nodded and banished the wondering doubt from his head. He focused all of the concentrated power stored in his vessel and closed his eyes.

With a snap of his fingers, the energy that had been building up was released in a flash, all pinpointed on the black mass. In an instant the shape flew apart into small particles.

"Thank goodness," Dean sighed, his voice back to normal volume. But the trouble wasn't over yet. The small Hufflepuff boy that had been the target of the attack lay on the wet ground, limp and unmoving. The poor kid's face was deathly white and his eyes were rolled up so that only the whites were visible. Sam, Dean, and Cas rushed through the now-silent crowd, their four friends close behind.

Jack watched silently as the three took control of the situation. The teachers attempted to herd the students back to school, but they watched, riveted, refusing to move. Jack had no idea what had happened or why the sphere had suddenly burst, but he did know that a kid had been almost killed and the idea sent shivers up his spine.

Dean was checking Jamie's pulse and Sam was checking his responses. "Barely beating, but kid's still alive," Jack heard Dean mutter. Cas had a hand on Jamie's shoulder, his brow knitted. He looked very perplexed.

E. Aster Bunnymund had leapt away and returned with the nurse and the headmaster. To Jack's surprise, Scorpius Malfoy came forth and helped the nurse carry Jamie away. The silence on the Quidditch Pitch was broken when a small girl with choppy blond hair started wailing loudly. Jack recognized her instantly- Jamie's sister, Sophie. Bunnymund scooped her up quickly and patted her head. Next of Jack, Rapunzel, Merida, and Hiccup watched Scorpius and the nurse carry Jamie away with a certain bleakness in their gazes. The shock of what had happened still hadn't sunk in yet.

"Everybody, back to dormitories. Now." North's voice was firm but gentle. Jack allowed himself to be led away by Rapunzel. He felt numb.

Hogwarts, his home, the only place where he felt protected…

_It wasn't safe anymore._

* * *

**A/N: Poor Jamie! Let's hope he gets better.**

** Remember, reviews make me write faster :)**

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	10. Aftermath

**A/N: This week the teachers played a game called "How many tests can we fit into everyone's schedules?" So, yeah, busy week. I finally got to update, so...enjoy this somewhat rushed chapter! :)**

* * *

"He's in a coma- Jamie's in a coma." The news was delivered tearfully by Toothiana, who was wringing her hands and flitting about the room fretfully. The teachers gathered round the Headmaster's office gasped quietly- some looked shocked, but most, grim. Cas patted the teacher's hand and sat her down in a chair gently.

"The creature," he faced North again, "wasn't anything like what I have seen before." North stroked his beard, thoughtful.

"Then how did you destroy it?"

"Pure energy," Cas replied, bowing his head. "It appears that is the only thing able to destroy this creature. Even that took a considerable effort- my vessel is still quite exhausted."

Cas did appear tired, Dean reflected. And confused- although they all were. The angel cleared his throat. "It appears that the safety of the students is in question now. This is important, however…my quest…" he trailed off, looking a little awkward, and rubbed his neck. Dean was struck by how young he looked.

"Ah. It's your duties, yes?" Cas turned. A portrait was speaking to him. It was a picture of an old man with twinkling blue eyes and half-moon spectacles. Below was a plaque that read _Albus Dumbledore._ The wizard's tone was kind; fatherly, even.

"You are inclined to care more about keeping the tablet hidden, but I believe that this oncoming threat is of equal importance."

"But Kevin…I am worried about the prophet. Who knows what Crowley is doing to him? And Naomi…"

"Oh, but the prophet will be saved." Dumbledore's eyes were glittering again. "There is someone that will save him, I can assure you."

"Who is this?"

"All in good time! In addition, my friend, I have a very powerful wizard friend named Tsar Lunar."

The teachers in the room murmured. Apparently this Tsar Lunar was well-known around these parts. "Mr. Lunar," Dumbledore continued, "is watching over you. Never fear."

Cas nodded, though he was still doubtful. "But surely Mr. Lunar is not aware of the pure power of both Crowley and Naomi. They can…they can destroy whole worlds."

"Yes. And Tsar Lunar can create whole worlds. He is mysterious and powerful- no one truly knows the extents of his magic."

Cas was uncertain.

"I see that you are still disbelieving. Very well, then, perhaps this fact will reassure you: the world of magic is well hidden from the divine. When we branched off from the Muggle- er, that is, regular world, the superior beings were not made aware. We were the ones blessed by Hecate, and we hid ourselves well and continue to. I would still advise you to be on guard, but please, rest assured that there are measures being taken to protect you- and your friends."

Cas gave Dumbledore a slight respectful bow. With a last twinkle, this time directed at the Winchesters, the former headmaster turned around and walked out of the portrait.

"Right. Now that it's sorted out, we'll do research. Lots of it. We'll find out what it is-"

"And kill the sonuvabitch. We can't risk the lives of students," Dean finished for Sam. North smiled and rubbed his hands together gleefully. At last, some action!

"Very good! Teachers will also do our best. And," he grew serious, "do you know about Frost boy?"

Sam shook his head. "That was weird. We had no idea he had a staff."

"_Da. _Teachers did not, either. I will speak to him. Good luck!"

He patted the three boys' shoulders and they buckled underneath the weight of North's tattooed arms. The Russian Headmaster let out a guffaw and sent them on their way.

* * *

Sam didn't know what had happened. They'd been walking out from North's office and had been in the middle of an eerily silent hallway- the students had all been sent to their respective dormitories. One moment he'd been listening to Dean talking about a dangerous creature that worked with sand, and the other he was slumped against a wall, Dean and Cas in his face, both calling his name worriedly. Sam tried to say something, but it was like speaking through cotton. The lights in the hallway made everything too bright and hectic. He couldn't focus- and _what was that noise…_

"Sammy! God dammit, speak to me!" Dean had shunted Cas to one side. His face seemed to waver before Sam's eyes, like Sam was looking through a badly focused telescope.

"What happened?" His voice came out as a croak. He winced at it and pushed himself up, head pounding.

"I-I dunno, you tell me!" Dean's voice was suddenly accusing. He gripped his brother by the shoulders and looked down at him, still not used to the fact that Sam was shorter than him.

"What've you been hiding from me, Sam? Huh?" He gave Sam a shake.

Sam coughed a little. "I- nothing! I don't know what that was, honest! I don't-"

"You're burning up." Dean was growling now, and shaking a little. "Dammit Sam, I thought- you need to tell me. Whenever you're feeling sick, you need to _frickin' tell me._ Okay?"

"I was feeling fine, I swear-"

"Clearly you weren't. Why else would something like that happen?" Cas's arms were crossed.

"Cas, not helping." Sam shrugged Dean's hands off his shoulders. "Look, Dean, I honestly felt okay-"

"Sam. _Please_."

Sam sighed. "Fine. I'll tell you when it gets bad. I just- I didn't want you to worry Dean. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well, you had me pretty worried then. C'mon, Sasqua- er, Sam. You need some Ibuprofen and some rest." Dean strode towards the Gryffindor tower. Sam felt Cas looking at him gravely and sighed. Ibuprofen and rest sounded good- but they wouldn't help him.

Nothing could help him. He'd just get worse and worse.

* * *

As the teachers, the Winchesters, and Castiel met at the Headmaster's office, Jack was being grilled by his friends.

"Why didn't ye tell us 'bout it 'fore?" Merida's arms were crossed. She had a peeved expression on her face.

"That was awesome, the whole ice-shooting deal…"

"But what was it? The stick-thing?" Rapunzel frowned at Jack.

"Stick-thing?" Jack smiled weakly. "It's called a staff. It was, uh, a hand-me-down. From my dad."

Somehow, the mention of Jack's father got the other three thinking. They knew almost nothing about Jack's life outside of Hogwarts, although he knew a lot about them.

"How d'we not know much 'bout ye? Ye know most ever'thing 'bout us…"

Jack shrugged "You've never asked me. I guess you've never wondered because I'm the fun one- must be pretty distracting." He was actually quite uncomfortable- he didn't really want to talk about his backstory- but to his gratitude, Rapunzel steered the subject away.

"I guess it really is just because you're too much fun," she giggled, suddenly mirthful. "Remember the Paint Hoax?"

Hiccup's buckteeth were showing now, his lips quirking up. "And the Great Owl Escapade…"

"There was Mission Kangaroo-"

"Remember the Floss Prank?"

"And what about Operation Ingredient Removal?"

"Tha' one had Pitch poppin' a vein." Merida chuckled. Jack nodded happily, exulting in the appreciation of his many masterpieces.

"I'm an awesome prankster- even _you _hafta admit it, Ginger." The sound of boots stomping in put a halt to their banter and they turned towards the noise. It was the Headmaster.

"Jack Frost! Come with me, please." North beamed at the students and whirled away. Jack gulped and drew himself up, shuffling away anxiously. It had to do with the staff; he was sure of it. He trotted after North, trying to keep up with the man's large strides.

They made it to his office eventually. Jack panted a little- North was _fast - _and North waited. When Jack had caught his breath, the large man launched into the explanation for inviting the boy to his office.

"Jack. You are wondering why you are here, no? Well, it does have to do with staff. Please explain."

Jack let out a puff of breath. "I-I'm sorry for not telling the teachers before- it really was stupid of me, sir, but I promise that I'll never pull it out again like that and-"

North cracked his knuckles. Jack noted how big he was and how the muscles on his frame rippled. He started planning his exit route.

"Right." The Russian's voice was low and menacing. "To business."

Jack was cornered in a section of the office. _Dear god, what was happening?_

"So, Jack Frost. Who are you? What is your center? If man in moon chose you, you must have something very special inside."

They weren't the words Jack was expecting. He was caught off guard. "Uh- my center? What...what do you mean?"

"Everyone who is chosen by Manny has a center, Jack. See…" North lobbed a set of nesting dolls to Jack. Jack scrutinized the doll on the outside. It was the face of North, steel behind his smile. "A few may see me as intimidating," North chuckled. "But beneath the surface…" Jack got the hint and unscrewed the first doll.

Doll-North was laughing, innocence in his painted features. "Beneath the surface I am jolly."

The next doll had narrowed eyes and a thin mouth. "I am mysterious…"

Then the doll's face was angry. "I am also fierce…"

The last doll was a tiny baby with large blue eyes. "And at my center…"

Jack rubbed his eyebrows. "At your center is a tiny wooden baby."

"At my center, big eyes! Big eyes, because they are full of _wonder! _Wonder is what I put into the world. It is what I put into children. It is why I am Guardian. It is my center."

"A…Guardian?"

North nodded encouragingly. "You are part of Guardian Initiative, no?"

Jack frowned. "What…"

"Do you know who Tsar Lunar is? Tsar Lunar, or Manny, as I call him, is very powerful wizard. He selects wizards that have done great deeds in their lives, and when their time comes to leave this earth, he reincarnates them and gives them new purposes. This was called the Guardian Initiative. You, Jack are Guardian!"

Jack blinked. His mouth was slightly open, his mind still processing North's explanation.

"Jack. My center is wonder. Bunnymund's is hope. Tooth's center is memories, and Sandy's is dreams. So what is your center?"

Jack shook his head. "I…I don't know."

"Ah. Still discovering yourself. No matter, you will succeed soon. But in the meantime, remember, you are Guardian now. This means you have responsibility. It is your duty now to protect children."

Jack protested- there was something that inherently grew inside of him that made him detest the idea of having responsibilities. "I'm really sorry, sir, but I really don't like responsibilities. They weigh me down. They…prevent me from having fun."

North laughed once more. Jack could've sworn that his laughter shook the ceiling. "Nonsense! You are Guardian now! This is what you were meant to do. It is your purpose. That is what you have been searching for, no? You have been searching for _why _you were put on this earth. And now, you have found out!"

Jack had to agree. Ever since he'd been saved by Tsar Lunar, the mysterious old man hadn't had any contact with Jack, despite taking him in and giving him a home. Tsar Lunar had told Jack when they first met to look to the moon if he wanted answers.

Jack had looked to the moon too many times since The Incident. He had never received any answers.

"You will have to find out what is attacking the school. It is your job. Of course- you will have help from us teacher. And the Winchesters." North winked a secretive, meaningful wink and showed Jack out.

* * *

The boy with the auburn hair crept across the grounds, a full basket cradled in his arms. He glanced around furtively, edging closer and closer to the dark mass of overgrown trees that bordered the school.

Reaching the very edge of the Forbidden Forest, the boy let out a quiet sigh of relief- he hadn't been caught yet- and gathered his wits. He clutched his wand in his free hand, which was shaking ever-so-slightly.

As he took a step into the darkness, a twig snapped behind him. He froze.

A large rabbit-like creature was loping towards the forest. Bunnymund's ears had detected something, and the Pooka was instantly alert. His figure got closer and closer to the silent silhouette of the boy, who was frozen, adrenaline coursing through his veins.

Before the Pooka could catch sight of the boy, the student silently fired a _deprimo _spell in the opposite direction. A wind drifted through the vines and Bunnymund's ears twitched. He turned towards the vine and hurried away from the boy.

Unbeknownst to all, a man stood in the Astronomy tower, silently viewing the events on the outskirts of the forest with a telescope. He chuckled darkly and looked away, his amber eyes glowing eerily in the darkness.

"Oh, if they only knew," Pitch Black whispered, and swept away. He had events to plan. And such fun events they were!

* * *

**A/N: Can somebody say "cliched Disney villain?" Lol- I love Pitch to death, though. And the missing eyebrows make him even more awesome.**

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**A.A.: Thank you :) And yes, there will be couples. You'll find out who soon :)**


	11. Rapunzel's First Hogsmeade

**A/N: I was gonna originally post this chapter on Thursday, but I had some family matters and of course the SUPERNATURAL SEASON FINALE AND CAAAAS AND CROOOWLEEY AND SAAAMMMY AND NAOMI...**

**Ahem. Anyways, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Filch took the page and stared at it. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. Rapunzel held her breath, her hands clutched to her chest. After a few tense moments the caretaker grunted and waved her on. She breathed a quick sigh of relief and walked past him- she was free! She couldn't believe it! Jack's idea had _worked!_

Jack bounded up beside her and gave her a toothy grin. "Told ya," he said, ruffling her hair playfully. She ducked and laughed.

"It worked!" she squealed. Running past Dean, she spun in a tight circle and let out a joyful laugh. She was ecstatic, and for good reason. Mother Gothel had kept her locked in a tower for fifteen years, and the only other place she was allowed in was Hogwarts. _Finally, _she had some freedom!

Dean shook his head and swung her braid. "Bit excited, aren't you?"

"Oh, yes," she gushed. They made it to Hogsmeade, where she spun some more, taking everything in amazedly. So many shops, and they were so cozy-looking! "Okay, okay," she breathed, still looking around.

There was a small bar to one side labeled _The Hog's Head._ Several seedy-looking patrons were seated inside, sipping suspicious drinks and goggling at one another. Suddenly everything didn't seem so glorious. "I don't think my Mother would like this," she squeaked. Hiccup shrugged.

"Well, at least you're having fun."

"You're right, this _is _fun! Just looking around is fun!" Hog's Head forgotten, she scampered past small shops and smelt wonderful smells and saw bright lights, squealing with excitement. Merida laughed bemusedly.

Rapunzel whipped her head to one side to look at a crazy joke shop and accidently smacked Jack in the cheek with her hair. "Oof!"

"Oops," she giggled. "Sorry."

Jack smiled that little lopsided grin at her, the one that melted all the other girls at Hogwarts. "You're fine," he replied softly, and took her hand. His palm was soft and cold, comforting to Rapunzel. She took a moment to look into his eyes and smile, and then he lead her towards Honeydukes.

Of course, she didn't notice Merida behind them mockingly making googley eyes. And she didn't notice the way the redhead looked at their intertwined fingers.

Merida _hated _romance. Yep, that was it. She hated anything gooey and lovey-dovey. And she hated the way Jack and Rapunzel acted around each other. So she huffed like a horse and pushed past them towards the sweetshop.

_It's just that, _she thought to herself. _I hate romance. _

Or maybe she hated the way Jack looked at Rapunzel, or the way his smile was soft and glowing- a smile he never gave to Merida, or maybe-

She growled and threw open the Honeydukes door. Everything was so confusing when she was around Jack, and it was his entire fault. "Whoa there, Merida. You okay?" Sam peered at her, and then eventually adopted a knowing expression.

"Oh, I see. It's Jack, isn't it?" His dimples flashed slightly. He ducked Merida's halfhearted punch and shied away from the irritated redhead. "Sorry," he sang to her, still grinning a little, and turned around towards the interior of the shop and promptly fell silent.

Next to him, Dean's jaw dropped. _"Holy mother of Chuck," _he whispered. Luscious golden-brown toffee and gleaming, creamy truffles and velvety chocolates, and a hundred different kinds of candy besides lined the shelves. The sweets seemed to beckon to the boys. Sam, Dean, and Cas -who looked suitably impressed- rotated slowly. Merida guessed that they certainly hadn't visited many candy stores before. They ogled the rows of special sweets, sniffing the air. Dean poked a Cockroach Cluster and wrinkled his nose, and then tried a piece of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum. A sizable violet bubble floated in front of him and he let out a delighted laugh.

Merida noticed the way he was transformed. Usually Dean Winchester looked slightly weary, and more like an adult than the sixteen years that he really was. But now, trying out pieces of candy like a child, he was somehow _changed_. He wasn't as world-weary, and something new had kindled in his eyes. Something magical.

After buying more than enough sweets to tide them over till the next visit, Jack tugged Rapunzel over to Zonko's. The blonde eyed the contraptions and fireworks a little wearily, not quite as enthusiastic as Jack and Dean were. ("Sam, you better be on the lookout," he had called to his brother while eyeing the itching powder with a glint in his eyes.) So, making sure that Jack was suitably occupied, she turned to Cas. The Hufflepuff looked intrigued by the tricks in the store, not quite as excited as the other four. _Wait. Where was Hiccup?_

"Hiccup!" she called. When no reply came, she looked a little anxious and called his name again.

"Eh, don't worry, lassie. Th' nerd's probably doin' homework," Merida muttered and went back to inspecting a firecracker.

A lull fell over the happily browsing Dean, Jack, and Merida, till a sudden voice called from the doorway.

"Cas! Hey!"

A lovely girl about their age stood in the doorway waving. Cas blinked, his lips turning up, and waved back. She had long black hair and glowing amber eyes. The girl wore the Slytherin robes, a silver-and-green scarf draped across her shoulders.

"Seraphina," he replied. "How are you?"

"All the better seeing you!" she replied brightly. Apparently, the girl was in a few of Cas's classes. Making her way over, she waved at Rapunzel as well. Out of the corner of her eye Rapunzel saw Dean turning his head from Cas to Seraphina, a smirk slowly growing on his face.

"So you've been to Honeydukes. The sugar quills are quite succulent, I've noticed."

Cas and Seraphina got caught up in small-talk- Seraphina was doing most of the chatting. Cas was attempting to reply wittily, but unfortunately his efforts fell a little short. Nevertheless, Rapunzel recognized Seraphina as a bubbly, cheerful girl- she couldn't possibly be any more different than her father.

Her father, who happened to be Pitch Black.

"Say, Rapunzel, would you like to go and have a butterbeer with us?" Seraphina smiled at her good-naturedly. Rapunzel turned to Cas. He looked most unlike his usual stoic self- slightly giddy, in fact. Rapunzel's suspicions disappeared at how sincere Seraphina looked and nodded.

"I've never tried butterbeer, actually," she admitted. Seraphina looked shocked.

"Scandalous! To the Three Broomsticks, right this instance. Why, you don't know what you're missing out on!"

"I hope that is not an alcoholic drink," Cas put in gravely. Seraphina laughed brightly.

"Only a spot- don't worry, not too bad. It's delicious. Let's go!" She towed Cas towards the entrance. Rapunzel glanced about slightly guiltily- Jack wasn't looking- and ducked out of the shop. She followed Cas and Seraphina to a bustling, bright pub and watched the woman make drinks.

"Is that butterbeer?" She pointed to a foaming glass of butterscotch colored liquid. Steam rose from the mug and it smelled heavenly.

"Yes, it is." Seraphina ordered three bottles, and soon Rapunzel was sitting across from Cas and Seraphina contentedly sipping the drink. Seraphina was right- it was absolutely wonderful, and it warmed her from the tips of her ears to her toes.

For a short while they sat in silence, listening to the quiet chatter of students around them. Rapunzel reflected on how lucky she was to have amazing friends- ones that got her into Hogsmeade, no less.

"So, Rapunzel, where are you from?"

It was a simple question, really, but as Rapunzel answered Seraphina, she found herself opening up. Cas's blue eyes were sympathetic and he was such a good listener- she described the tower, and how Mother Gothel locked her in- just for her own good- and how she would spend hours painting and reading-

But most of all, wondering who she was, and looking at the floating lanterns that were released across the land every year. She found herself recounting her adventures with Pascal, who was currently in the common room. She laughed and some parts of her tale, and frowned at others, but not once was she interrupted.

And not once did she mention her hair. That was still a secret.

At the very end of her tale, which ended with meeting Hiccup on the platform, Seraphina clapped somberly and Cas smiled.

"Your life is a wondrous tale, Rapunzel," he said quietly, placing the empty mug on the table. A dark shadow fell on his face and he looked ancient and wise beyond his years. For the first time, Rapunzel saw Cas. _Really _saw him, saw the weariness and the wisdom and the age and the love in his eyes. As if he was more than human. Then the image passed and Cas was Cas again.

Rapunzel got the impression the Cas's own life was the most wondrous of all. And the oddest thing was that she hadn't a clue why.

* * *

Jack tweaked Merida's ear. "I'm planning a prank," he singsonged. Merida grimaced.

"Nothin' new there."

Meanwhile, Dean and Sam glanced at each other's loot. Dean was quite disappointed with Sam, who had bought a book of magical pranks. "Of all the things to buy, you buy a freakin' book. God, Sam. Lame much?"

Sam gave Dean his bitchface and handed Dean's bag back delicately. "I'm afraid of touching half the things you bought 'cuz they're probably gonna blow my fingers off."

"Accurate," Dean murmured.

They strolled into the Three Broomsticks together and found Rapunzel, Cas, and Seraphina with butterbeer. Dean bought three of the drinks and handed them to Jack, Merida, and Sam, who smelt it suspiciously. For himself, he ordered a firewhiskey, standing straighter to look older.

The curvy bartender handed him his drink. He winked at her appreciatively and took the drink, then went to sit by Sam. Jack raised his eyebrows at Dean.

"Firewhiskey? Aren't you underage?"

"Dean!" Rapunzel looked at him reprovingly. He shrugged in reply and chugged down some of the drink.

"Not bad," he reflected. "Got a nice kick to it. A bit of cinnamon, it seems."

Rapunzel crossed her arms. "Do you mean to say you've had alcohol before?" She couldn't believe it!

Dean leaned back languidly and sipped some more of the whiskey. "I'm experienced," he reassured. Rapunzel covered her mouth. Although, seeing as this was Dean, it wasn't as astonishing as it should've been.

"Ah. Good stuff."

"Your friend is crazy," Seraphina reported to Cas.

"Oh, I'm aware. Dean, do you really think it is wise to be drinking 'on the job?'"

Dean spluttered into his drink. "What show you been watching?"

Cas turned away a little exasperatedly. Dean sniggered and drained the firewhiskey, then went back for a refill. When he came back, Cas and Seraphina were both gone, off to some coffee shop. _Cas was getting hit on! _Dean ordered another whiskey, to celebrate.

Approximately eight firewhiskeys later, Rapunzel was regretting allowing Dean in the shop. He was playing with her braid and hiccupping occasionally. It appeared that he hadn't realized how strong the wizard drink was.

"Hey Sam," he slurred. "Ya think you could get me a-_hic_- a refill?"

Sam snickered. "Nope. Enough alcohol for you."

"This stuff is stronger than-_hic- _stronger than regu_-hic- _regular beers."

"I think it's time to go back, Dean," Sam attempted to keep from giggling like a schoolgirl. Dean staggered to his feet and Sam, ever the little brother, stood up with him.

"_Hic-_no…no way, party's just- _hic- _party's just getting started! Sam-_hic -_ my name's- heh- my name's Wean Dinchester, I -_hic-_I think-"

Sam pulled Dean away from the table. "Nooo- don't make me-_hic-_go away! I liked-_hic-_I liked it…"

"All right, Mr. I'm-Experienced, let's go back to Hogwarts." Jack held Dean's other arm and tugged him towards the door. Once they were out, however, Dean had different ideas.

He ducked from under Jack and stumbled over to a bush. "It's- it's so _pretty_."

"Uh, what?" At this point, only Sam and Jack were involved- Rapunzel and Merida hung back chuckling knowingly.

Dean crooned a little tune and then sat down stubbornly in the grass. "I don't- don't wanna leave."

Sam sighed. "Oh, c'mon…"

Dean looked up at the sky. "Sam- Sam, you reckon-_hic-_ you reckon it's gonna, it's gonna start burning again?"

Sam's stomach dropped. He froze. "What?"

Dean rocked back a little. "Like that- that one day. On the ceiling…Mom. Mom- _hic-_ Mom is d-d- Mom is…and Jess. _Hic-_ Jessie, you love- you loved her- _hic-_ Sam…"

"Dean. We have to _go_." He pulled Dean to his feet, painfully aware of the other three's gazes. "Dean-"

"Dead, dead- _hic- _they're all dead…" Dean let out a little dry sob.

"What is he talking about?" Merida's voice was hushed.

Dean's breath shook. "Sam- you- _hic- _you were dead, and Jess, and Dad, and Mom, and Bobby, and-_hic-_ me… We're-_hic- _gone, all gone."

Sam shook Dean. "I'm right here. Alive," he said, calmly. "You're alive, Dean. So is Cas. And that's all that matters. Right?"

Dean's head lolled. "Sorry. I'm-_hic-_ I'm sorry."

"So am I," Sam said softly. He beckoned to Jack, who started and helped drag Dean in the right direction.

Dean eventually tilted up to look at Sam. "Don't die," he said solemnly. "Not again."

Sam made no guarantees, 'cause Winchesters usually died a lot.

"Not again?" Merida glanced at Rapunzel. "Does tha' mean he's died before?"

Merida recognized a secret when she saw one. And the Winchesters were definitely keeping secrets.

_Well, they certainly aren't the only ones._

* * *

Merida hung back from the group. Dean was being half-dragged towards Hogwarts, Jack on one side, Sam on the other. Rapunzel shuffled behind them looking worried.

As they looped around the lake, travelling from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts, they neared the Forbidden Forest. It was after lunch on a windy, slightly overcast day and the tangle of overgrown trees appeared ominous against the dark sky. A sudden movement in the dark caught Merida's eye. She clutched her wand in her hand nonchalantly and edged towards the forest when no one was watching.

Merida nearly tripped on a small wicker basket, placed by a small bush at the very outskirts of the trees. A pungent smell reached her nose: raw fish. _Fish? In a basket?_

Of course, Merida's natural curiosity and a certain liking for getting into trouble awoke and ordered her to hide. And hide she did, and commenced to wait for whatever had brought the fish.

The small group of four ahead kept moving, tending to the more urgent matter at hand and paying no attention to Merida. Merida crouched behind a thick tree trunk, wrapping her scarf around her neck. She wished she had brought her bow to Hogsmeade; one never knew the surprises that could be encountered. Such as this.

And soon enough, a figure came tripping through the vines. It certainly wasn't a very _graceful _figure; actually pretty skinny, and a bit shorter than Merida.

In fact, the lone form was so familiar that it hit Merida all of a sudden. _Hiccup?!_

A head of auburn hair appeared eventually. Sure enough, it was Hiccup. Merida rocked back on her heels, about to jump out and scare him, but part of her wanted to know what he was doing in the Forbidden Forest at three in the afternoon.

Hiccup exchanged the empty basket that he was carrying for the full one on the ground and stumbled back into the forest. This time, Merida crept behind him. The forests of Dunbroch had prepared her well, and she jogged through the trees and creepers with no trouble at all. The whole way, more questions crept into her mind: How many times had Hiccup escaped the castle without them knowing? Was this a regular thing? _And what exactly was he doing?_

Hiccup ducked beneath an overhanging branch. Merida paused, then followed suit. On the other side, she prepared to follow him again, and realized that he was gone.

He was…gone. Where did he go? She spun, and looked under several bushes to no avail. He had simply disappeared.

Merida punched a tree trunk fiercely. Now that her curiosity was piqued, she just _had to know! _She determined to confront him later about it and turned around, going back the way she came.

_I'll be keeping tabs on Fishbone, that's for sure._

She burst into the dormitory about ten minutes later. Dean was sprawled out on the couch fast asleep. Sam was curled up reading on an armchair next to him, and Rapunzel, Cas, and Jack were helping to brush the blonde's hair.

Merida's appearance startled all of them (except for Dean). It had begun to rain halfway through her voyage back, and her hair as well as her robe was both damp and limp.

"Where've you been?"

"Out," she replied briskly. "But the point is, Hiccup's missing."

* * *

The giant squid was nowhere to be seen. A fog had descended onto the lake and nearly nothing was able to pervade the dark gloom.

That is, nothing except for the monster.

It had confronted the man in the shadows at midnight. It couldn't see the man, just make out his silhouette, and nevertheless the monster felt some sort of respect for him.

"So why should I take you on, sweet? You'd have to contribute something…_unique._"

_You ask me how I am unique? _The being snuffled slightly. _It is not every day you see a creature such as I, no?_

The beast shifted. Cracked bones and splintered shields threatened to rain down on the man, but he didn't seem threatened.

"Convincing, yes, but it doesn't quite sell the deal, I'm afraid."

Sitting back on his haunches, it made a noise akin to a sigh.

_For decades, I have terrorized the people of the Highlands. They tell dark tales of men murdered on the hills by me and children and women mauled. Many times they have tried to kill me- and yet they cannot succeed. For I am The Monster, the Bear, the Murderer. I cause fear. Nay, I live on fear. All fear me. And all I want is to feast on their fear, and I want power. Power is what I seek, and I have ways of gaining it. _

There was a short silence.

"Ah. A monster, then." The man looked up at the creature, silently judging. He gave a short nod.

"Very well. Welcome to the team, darling. What should I call you?"

The monster's twisted face shifted into a macabre version of a grin.

_Mor'du, they used to call me. Mor'du the bear._

* * *

**A/N: Reviews are even better than sitting alone in a corner crying about the Winchesters!**

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	12. Discord

**A/N: Woohoo! I actually got it done! I wrote all of this a few hours ago- forgive me if it's rushed. ****Remember, don't be afraid to review! Suggestions are always welcome. So sit back, keep your eyes open, and enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Jack collapsed in the chair with a sigh. He dumped his bag behind him and let his eyes close. Potions with Pitch was a disaster most of the time- okay, all of the time. The insufferable man was always on his case for the smallest things, like not sitting straight, doodling on his notes, forgetting the exact measurements for making potions... It was the worst class, and Jack needed some time to recover after every session.

"Hard class, Frost?" Hiccup looked up from homework to address the white-haired boy. Jack stretched and nodded.

"You know how it is with Pitch."

Hiccup winced sympathetically. "Yeah."

The Viking had returned soon after Merida's dramatic announcement a little apologetically. "I was hanging out with Astrid." Jack thought it was a lousy excuse, and so had Dean.

"Fishbone hanging out with Hofferson? Isn't she the fierce blonde chick with the hips?" Dean had glanced at the scrawny boy with wet auburn hair in the doorway and snorted. "I gotta see it to believe it."

Jack had decided to ask his fellow Slytherin later.

Now, as he looked at the Ravenclaw boy doing homework, he knew that Hiccup's excuse was really that, just an excuse. And it made him wonder, what had Hiccup _really _been doing yesterday?

Before Jack could give the question much thought, his five friends came tumbling through the portrait hole; quite literally. Apparently, Dean had tripped Merida, who had bowled into Sam, who had elbowed Cas in the stomach, who had knocked Rapunzel off her feet. The other Gryffindors in the common room chuckled at the group.

Dean shoved Rapunzel's braid out of his mouth and rolled out from under Sam, groaning. "God _dammit._"

"Dean," Rapunzel admonished.

"God _dang it._" He tipped an imaginary hat at Rapunzel and settled into a chair next to James Potter. "Howdy," he greeted Jack and Hiccup.

"Hey, Winchester! You wanna try out a Puking Pastille?"

"The hell is that?" Dean quirked an eyebrow at James. The older Potter grinned and produced a small, multi-colored sweet.

"Orange end makes you vomit, purple end solves the problem. I use it to get out of class. Stole some from Uncle George's prank store. Here."

Dean caught the candy, gaping at it. "Dude. This is _brilliant!" _He pocketed the sweet. "You're awesome," he pointed at James.

James winked and strolled away nonchalantly. Rapunzel cleared her throat hesitantly. "You're not…you're not really going to _use _it, are you?"

Dean smiled mysteriously, his green eyes flashing. "Who knows?"

Hugo Weasley chuckled, then grew silent. "Y'know, people talk about you seven. It's weird enough that you're all from different Houses, and always hanging out together doing God-knows-what-"

"You got a problem with that?"

"Nah. I don't. I think it's interesting, how you seven manage to still keep friends; you kinda ignore your differences. Does that make sense at all?"

Rapunzel nodded. "Yes- I suppose we really aren't that different in the end."

Sam shrugged and proceeded to procure a sleek, silver, rectangular box from his bag. "I'm doing research. For homework."

"You're doing research with a box," Hiccup clarified. "Why are you doing research with a box?"

For a while, Dean and Sam glanced at Hiccup open-mouthed. "A box?"

"That's wha' it is, isn't it? I've never seen somethin' like tha' before."

The brothers continued staring.

"I believe that is a _laptop,"_ Cas clarified, barely looking up from his book.

"What is a _laptop?"_ Hiccup's brow furrowed.

Jack stared at the _laptop. _All of a sudden, everything seemed distant and blurry- except for this small, rectangular box. Voices echoed in his head…

_**"Jack- no, don't touch it- Daddy's laptop-"**_

_** "What's a laptop?"**_

_** "Daddy works on it. It's a machine that you can do ever so many things on! It's called a computer- don't touch it, though…"**_

The voices faded out. Jack commanded himself to remember, to try and recall what happened…but no, it was gone.

"It's a computer." His voice sounded hollow and bitter, even to himself. "You write on it. And you can access the web." He stared harder at the box. Maybe he'd remember…

"Are ye okay, laddie?"

His friends' faces were concerned. Jack forced himself to shake the memory out and cleared his throat.

"Yeah. 'Course I'm okay," he grunted.

Dean wasn't convinced, but he got the message. He turned away from Jack. "Don't tell me you can get Wi-Fi here, too, Sasquatch."

Sam looked up from the now-glowing screen triumphantly. Dean heard some faint exclamations of surprise from the surrounding students- _"It's glowing!"_

"Actually, there is a Wi-Fi network! It's called-" he broke off, glancing around confusedly.

"Did- did anyone hear that?"

Rose Weasley, who was seated near her cousin Albus, glanced at Sam. "Hear…what?"

"That-that noise." Sam winced. "It's really- kind of loud- wait. It's gone."

He put a hand to his forehead. "You sure no one heard it?"

Cas shook his head. "I am fairly certain there was no noise, Sam."

Sam looked a little bewildered. "Okay, whatever," he muttered, looking back down at his laptop. Soon, the sounds of keyboard clicks and the scratching of quills filled the air.

Dean yawned. "Stupid robes." Not only did they look like dresses, they felt like blankets and were warm and soft…

"Don't you have homework?" Cas looked bemused. Dean shrugged.

"Sure I do. Doesn't mean I have to do it."

Hiccup laughed. "Dean, O.W.L.'s are this year. You can't just not try!"

"_Owls _are this year? I've had enough of owls. Falcons are way better, if you ask me." Dean's falcon, Beretta, was at the tower currently, living off of mice.

Merida laughed. "O.W.L.'s are tests, Dean. They're this year- they decide wha' you can take later at school."

"So, like final exams. Gross. I'd rather not."

"Do you not understand the material?"

Dean seemed like the kind of person who wasn't about to admit that he didn't understand something. Sure enough, he looked up indignantly and frowned. "'Course I understand the material," he protested. "It's easy!"

"Y'know," Hiccup inserted gently, "I could help you. Anytime."

Dean's ears glowed pink. "I understand the classes! It's like the opposite of hard," he argued vehemently. Hiccup plopped down by the tall, older boy and spread out an empty scroll on the table.

"All right, for the essay in Potions, you're gonna have to read about werewolves. So here," he handed the book to Dean, "page three hundred and sixty-five to three-hundred and eighty. You're supposed to fill a foot of a scroll, so about seven paragraphs sounds good. So read these pages, and I'll help you plan your essay. Good?"

Dean gaped comically. "You're- you're really helping me? Seriously?"

Hiccup shrugged. "Nothing better to do, honestly. And you looked like you needed it."

"I don't," Dean muttered. But by the way he squinted at the words of the page, like he had completely missed when they had reviewed the chapter in class, the others could tell that the help was much-needed.

And so, Rapunzel and Cas did homework together, Hiccup helped Dean along with his essay, Sam researched on his laptop, and Jack and Merida were left alone.

"Exploding Snap?"

"Oh yeah."

Merida pulled a pack of cards from her bag. Sam looked up, interested.

It seemed normal enough, at least until Merida put a card face-up in front of Jack. With a sudden bang, all of the cards exploded, singing Jack's eyebrows. Dean and Sam both yelped, Dean's hands curled into fists. They relaxed when they realized that it was a set of cards. Merida chuckled with Jack at their expressions.

"Got you," she nodded at Jack.

"Right," he drawled. He tapped his wand casually on the table. All of a sudden, the cards flew at Merida. She shrieked and batted at them, but they followed her persistently. Jack and James Potter both laughed at the sight of Merida being chased by the cards.

"_Make it stop," _she screeched.

"I can't!" Jack called back, enjoying the sight immensely. "They're birds, and they want to use your hair as a nest!"

"_I- aghh! IMMOBULUS!" _She whipped her wand around at the vicious cards, which fluttered to the floor limply. Jack giggled.

"That was awesome," he sighed. Unfortunately, Merida did not think so.

She stomped up to him, her robes in disarray, her wild red curls flying everywhere. "Ye think ye're being funny but ye're being really, really childish!"

"Oh, c'mon. It was hilarious."

"_Aye hate you!"_

"You don't mean that," Jack muttered.

"_Oh, yes I do, ye insufferable bloody little bampot!" _Merida stamped away furiously. Jack stuck his tongue out after her, mildly hurt, but not enough to apologize.

"One minute they're laughing, another they're fighting."

Dean wiggled his eyebrows at Hiccup. "There's a very thin line between love and hate, y'know."

Rapunzel laid down her quill after a while, still captivated by Sam's laptop. "Can you tell me how it works?" she asked him.

Sam nodded eagerly. "Sure! So you start with a core processor and a mother board. The mother board's like the main programming thing, and-"

He broke off. There was a weird sound in his ear, like before- only louder. It reminded him of a dog whistle: ultrasonic, not enough to really hear, but enough to annoy. But this, this was like a wave of pure energy; he could barely hear anything else.

"Do you guys- _ah!" _The ringing noise grew in intensity. Everything blurred around him and became one great canvas of smeared colors. He couldn't see- couldn't hear- couldn't even think- it was too loud, too loud-

* * *

"I'm taking you to the Hospital Wing if it's the freaking last thing I do," Dean growled. Sam stumbled along, leaning on him heavily, panting.

"I'm- I'm fine-"

"_Just shut up, okay?_ You nearly scared those kids half to death, and now they're wondering what's up with you, and there's no way in hell we're gonna tell them, so-"

"Dean! I'm fine!" Sam managed to stand on his own feet. He looked Dean in the eye. "Look. I just wanna get the third trial started, okay? Sooner we get this done, the better, right?"

"Sam-"

"Don't _Sam _me! I'm serious, Dean! I have to do this!"

"_Why? _Why do you have to do this?" Dean ran a hand across his chin.

"Because these trials, they're…" he took a shaky breath and stared at Dean with something like hope in his eyes. "_They're purifying me."_

Dean stared back, his stomach plummeting. "Oh, Sammy, no-"

"You know about the third trial, don't you?" His breathing was uneven.

Dean looked down at his little brother, guilt in the pit of his body. "I…do. I got some info from a priest. The third trial…it's curing a demon."

The spark was lit and the fire ignited. "What else did you learn?"

"Sam-"

"_What else did you learn, Dean?"_

"It's…well, you have to take blood from yourself and put it into a demon. But there's no way I'm gonna let you do it. Not now, when you're already barely able to function."

"Yeah? Well, it's only going to get worse!"

"I don't like this." Dean crossed his arms. "Why don't we wait awhile?"

Sam let out a growl. "You don't get it, Dean." Before his brother could respond, Sam was storming away.

"Hey! Where- where are you going?"

"Headmaster's office. Wait for me at the commons."

Dean didn't try and follow; when Sam Winchester was determined, he could not be stopped.

* * *

North wasn't there. Of course wasn't- just when he was needed most. Sam sighed and sat down in a pouf to wait for him.

After a few minutes, one of the portraits started speaking to him. It was the old man, Albus Dumbledore.

"So, Samuel. It would be logical to presume you are here about the third trial?"

"How do you know about the trials?"

Dumbledore settled back in the chair he was seated in. "Ah, you underestimate me, my dear boy! I have sources that keep me well-informed." He winked, as if they were sharing a secret.

"Right."

"Yes! And before you become disinterested, I'd like to point you in the right direction. It is your opinion, I believe, that the third trial is much more important than whatever is happening at the school?"

Sam fidgeted. "Well, sir, it's not- er- not _more _important, but I guess it does matter more for the well-being of, well, everyone."

Dumbledore exhaled. "Tell me, Samuel, when you saw the horse on the Quidditch pitch, what did it most remind you of?"

Sam's eyes widened at the implication the former headmaster was making.

"…a demon, sir."

"Very good." The picture nodded. "I would agree."

Sam didn't ask how Dumbledore knew about demons; he stared at the portrait hard and leaned forward. "Was it a demon, sir?"

A sigh. "I am but a picture, Samuel, and I did not see the event with my own eyes. However-" Dumbledore's eyes narrowed behind the spectacles- "I would advise you to _trust your own instincts."_

In an instant, Sam stood up. If there was a new kind of demon, one that didn't react to iron bullets- well, they had a whole new set of problems to deal with, then.

* * *

Rapunzel made sure her friends were busy with their dinner, and then she slipped out of her seat and through the double-doors. It was hard to go unnoticed, because nearly everyone knew the likable Hufflepuff, but she made a break for it when a group of Slytherins passed by her table.

She padded silently along the hallway, shoes in hand. Leaping on a staircase, Rapunzel dodged the trick step and leapt onto the set of stairs leading to the Hospital Wing.

Today, she would heal Jamie.

It was essential that no one would see her, so she chose dinner as the perfect time for the healing. Hearing Jack tell her about the boy made her incredibly guilty- why oh why hadn't she done something sooner?

She dashed through the doors of the Hospital Wing and skid to a stop. To her dismay, Madame Pomfrey stood in the doorway with her arms crossed. "Miss Gothel! Stop running! This is not a gymnasium!"

"Sorry, Madame Pomfrey." Rapunzel folded her arms and put on her brightest smile. "May I see Jamie, please?"

The kindly nurse sighed. "I'm sorry. Jamie can't have any visitors at the moment." She turned back towards the curtained bed at the back of the room. "His condition is worsening, I'm afraid."

Rapunzel was desperate. "Please, Madame Pomfrey? I just wanted to see him."

Madame Pomfrey guided her out. "Headmaster's orders, Rapunzel. Besides, he's in a coma. Nothing to see there."

Rapunzel wilted and trudged out sadly. "I have to do something," she murmured to herself. _But what?_

* * *

"Don't lie to me." Her icy blue eyes narrowed and glared down at Hiccup.

"I'm not, I swear!"

"Then why did ye have the baskets o' fish?" Merida took a step closer to Hiccup. Hiccup took a step back.

"You know, it's getting kind late…"

"Hiccup," Merida snapped.

"I gotta go," he mumbled, and jogged away before Merida could snag his sleeve.

She pounded her fist. "I'm onto ye, Fishbone," she growled. Secrets, secrets…there were too many of them!

"Aye just wish we could trust each other," she sighed.

_Yes, that will be your downfall, _the shadow watching her thought to itself. It bounded away, like all the other shadow spies. They would all meet in the Forest, with the Master, and report their findings.

There was so much to corrupt, to kill, to destroy! And of course, their next attack would be soon…

* * *

**A/N: Hmmm. It seems that the seven aren't quite getting together! *cackles evilly***

**All right. Review, review, review; can't say it too many times. Just tell me what you think and I'll be happy.**

**Replies to reviews:**

**Flo U. W. Holmes: They are- they're pretty cute :3 I like Merida and Jack's explosive chemistry, too! Thank you so much!**

**A.A.: You're the sweetest thing, did you know that? Thank you for all the compliments :) Hope I don't disappoint. **


	13. Tricks, Treats, and Trouble

**A/N: Oh my gosh I am so sorry for the late update! Finals week is crazy hectic and I just dsh;sljab**

**But, yeah, I managed to update (hallelujah!) Enjoy!**

* * *

By the time the owl post soared in Thursday morning, Cas was finished with breakfast. He had no idea what had caused the delay, but as he folded his napkin on his plate, a large tawny owl dropped a package onto the napkin, upsetting the empty glass next to it. Cas righted the glass and refolded the napkin, then opened the package. It was small and rectangular, wrapped in newspaper and secured with rubber band. Cas put the newspaper clippings to one side and found a small black box. Inside of it was an envelope.

The letter was from Kevin Tran. He had apparently been attacked by Crowley and saved by someone named Metatron. The name rung familiar with Cas- of course! It was the scribe of God, Metatron! Metatron had come out of hiding, as Kevin wrote, and rescued him from Crowley. Relief immediately washed over Cas, then interest, as he read the last paragraph.

_ Metatron says that he wants to shut it down too- heaven and hell, the works. I told him that was your intention, and he said that he had a set of trials for that purpose. I'm basically retired now, so I didn't bother asking him the details, but he thinks you'd be interested. What's your opinion? And write back to Metatron, not me. _

The tawny owl suddenly pecked Cas's hand. He chastised it and returned in a disgruntled way back to the letter.

_ By the way, the owl bites._

_ Don't die,_

_ Kevin_

Cas replaced the letter inside the envelope and leaned back in his seat. He would write back to Metatron as soon as humanly- that would be as soon as angelically- possible. He really couldn't risk Naomi finding his hiding spot, and the sooner he could learn about those trials, the better.

Seraphina walked by his table. She waved to him and he smiled back. The girl was something of an oddity- she really was very friendly, and quite thought-provoking. Maybe she was his friend. Cas wasn't really sure what defined a friend. There wasn't a way to measure love and friendship. Maybe it was the number of times a person talked to you in a day. Or maybe it was how wide someone smiled at you. He was clueless about such an abstract, _human_ concept, so Cas stowed the idea away in the back of his mind.

He had a few minutes before classes began, so he rushed to the Owlery with the tawny owl, keeping it at arm's length. Cas dug out a quill and a length of parchment from his bag and wrote a reply to Metatron. He kept it concise;

_Metatron:_

_This is Castiel. I am replying to your query about the angel trials. Yes, I will take part in them, as long as you give me more information and what exactly the first trial consists of. I'd like to thank you for this opportunity._

_Castiel._

Cas decided to keep his guard. He didn't know if Metatron was evil or truly good, and after messing up everything before he knew better than to rush in unprepared. Careful of his fingers, he tied the roll of parchment to the owl's foot and sent it on its way.

He hoped Metatron would reply quickly. Heaven was becoming out of control, and he had to do something about it.

* * *

Transfiguration was one of Jack's favorite classes. The teacher was a small, mute, narcoleptic man named Sanderson Mansnoozie who communicated purely through sand letters that he could manipulate with his wand. Professor Mansnoozie got along well with Jack, even allowing him to doze off in class once in a while. Besides, Jack understood Transfiguration very well, and it was fun to turn parrots into chairs and back again.

This class was a review period. Transfiguration was with the Ravenclaws. Today he sat at a table next to Sam. Jack didn't quite know what to think about Sam; he rarely talked to the younger Winchester, although he seemed nice enough.

"This unit's pretty easy, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Yeah," Sam replied, a little surprised at the sudden conversation. "I think the next one's a little more complicated."

Jack groaned. "Dang it. Just when I was getting comfortable, too."

Sam smiled briefly. Jack didn't know he had dimples.

"You should do that more."

"Do what more?"

Jack shrugged. "Smile. Laugh. Have a little fun. Y'know, you look really tired all the time."

It was true for both Dean and Sam. Dean could be a little more light-hearted at times; but mostly, as Jack found out, both Winchester were similar. Their eyes were those of people who were meant to be happy- they were meant to be happy, and perhaps they were happy a long time ago, but they had gone through something terrible during their lives. And Jack was sorry for it. Something about these two mysterious transfer students struck a chord with both him and his three closest friends.

"I am pretty tired," Sam sighed. He had dark circles under his eyes and he rubbed at them briefly.

"So get some rest. You look like you need it."

Sam gave him an undecipherable look.

"I haven't really gotten to know you that well, Frost."

"Funny, I was thinking the same thing."

"I don't even know where you're from.

"And I don't know that about you, either," Jack realized. "I live in Burgess. It's in Pennsylvania."

Sam hesitated slightly. "Dean and I are from Kansas. Lawrence, Kansas. It's a small town, too. Back roads."

Jack nodded. "So do you and your parents still live there, or…?"

Instantly, Sam shut down. "Kind of," he replied vaguely and looked down, his bangs hanging half over his eyes. Jack didn't try to push the subject.

"What about you?" Sam asked him. Jack suddenly didn't feel like replying.

"Yeah. I live there with my, uh, parents, and my sister and uncle, Mr. Moon." The white-haired boy felt bad about lying, but he didn't want to explain to Sam that he was an orphan.

At the same time that Jack thought that Sam and Dean Winchester were very mysterious, Sam was thinking that Jack Frost was a very puzzling boy.

_If only he could trust me,_ both of them lamented in their heads.

* * *

The Great Hall was resplendent on the night of the Halloween feast. It wasn't like anything Dean had ever seen before. Black and orange candles floated throughout the ominously dark ceiling and bats fluttered throughout the room, upsetting the cobwebs that hung haphazardly from the walls. Orange streamers took minds of their own and weaved in the air, although there was no wind to move them. Jack-o-lanterns floated freely throughout the Hall, lit up from the inside by candles of every color. Lightning flashed from the ceiling, thunder rang out like drums. And then, of course, there was the food.

It really was a feast. Dean sat next to Merida staring slightly openmouthed at the meal. There were candied apples and huge pumpkins with candy inside; there were black cauldrons full of lollipops, and there were slabs of carrot cake; and a hundred different kinds of victuals besides that sent delicious smells wafting through the air.

The Gryffindor table dug in heartily, and somewhere between the beginning of the main course and the beginning of dessert, the ghosts of Hogwarts arrived and played badminton with Nearly Headless Nick's not-quite-attached head. Unfortunately, Nick himself had to be shuttled back and forth the convivial ghosts, as his head wasn't really completely severed. The ghosts provided quite the entertainment for the whole Hall, and by the end of the feast, Dean was full, content, and ready for bed for the first time in a very, very long time.

Merida strolled out with him, both of them cheerfully discussing the amazing decorations. A good many ghosts skirted around Dean nervously. Dean really couldn't blame them; seemingly, they remembered their first meeting quite well.

Of course, all good feasts are never complete without some kind of argument. In this case, the discord came in the form of Snotlout Jorgenson.

"Hey, Prisschester," the burly Viking greeted Dean. Merida had disappeared off somewhere, and Dean was watching a Seraphina Black and Cas talk outside the Great Hall. He had announced to Rapunzel, who had been passing by, that the awkward little guy was growing up. Now he turned to Snotlout, annoyed.

"_Prisschester? _The hell, man?"

"What? I couldn't think of anything better!"

Dean snorted. "Figures. Ain't like you're smart enough to even think of a decent nickname. I mean, just plain Winchester was okay. But _Prisschester?" _

Snotlout drew himself up to his full height. "Whatever," he sneered. "But at least _I'm_ rich enough to buy myself my own broom."

Dean's eyebrows crept up. "I missed the part when Quidditch entered this conversation."

"It entered the conversation right now. But are the rumors true? Y'know, I hear things. People have been talking about you." Snotlout leaned closer, confidential in bearing. "They talk about how Dean and Sam Winchester, the supposed _talented _students, can't brew a potion to save a life. And they can't transfigure anything, and don't pay attention in class-"

"Says Snotlout Jorgenson, the trouble child of Slytherin," Dean snorted. "It's funny to watch you try and get under my skin."

Dean and Snotlout's arguments followed a similar pattern; Dean would say that he wasn't even bothered by Snotlout's insults, Snotlout would try and think of more scathing offenses, and back and forth like a half-hour long tennis game. Finally, at about nine, Snotlout left with a parting shot of "I'll see ya in Charms. Bet you a hundred Sickles you'll get detention. Oh- wait, I forgot- you probably don't have _five _Sickles!"

Across the hallway, Sam was being approached by a skinny Slytherin girl named Eve. Sam had bad experiences with women named Eve, and he had been trying to get away from her for about half an hour, but she was terribly persistent.

"Hey, it's kinda late. I'll, um, catch you later," he muttered. Eve flashed him a stretched-out smile.

"See you later, Sammy," she sang and skipped away. Sam winced, staring after her.

"God, Sam. Your taste in girls has been deteriorating so much-"

"Piss off," Sam grumbled. Dean punched his shoulder playfully.

Both the brothers headed towards the dormitories, taking the same set of steps. Sam yawned and stumbled a little, and waved Dean's glance off. They were almost to the dorms in five minutes.

The staircases had different plans, however. As soon as they had jumped on the one that would lead them to their respective dormitories, the whole set of steps changed course and swung itself to the left: towards the Slytherin dormitory. Dean and Sam yelped and found that they were unable to navigate backwards. So, without any other choice, they reluctantly moved forwards.

They approached the corner to the Slytherin dormitory and heard a scream. Sprinting around the corner, Dean came to a dead stop. In front of them was a sight that they should have been prepared for.

Jack Frost stood over two bodies, his staff gripped in his trembling hands. Dean instantly knew what had happened as the shadows surrounding the bodies thickened and swirled unnaturally. Sam put a gentle hand on Jack's shoulder, which was freezing cold. Jack whirled with a wild expression. He was panting.

"The- the shadows- they just…I wasn't fast enough, I couldn't save them…I'm sorry-"

"Hey. Not your fault," Dean murmured and came to a crouch by the bodies. He recognized the two Slytherins: Astrid Hofferson, the "fierce chick with the hips" and Flynn Rider, one of the troublemakers whom Dean was naturally good friends with.

Sam exhaled softly as he checked Astrid's pulse. "Barely beating."

Dean looked up involuntarily. Quite the crowd had formed around them. He shooed them away and hoisted Flynn up by the arms. "Let's take 'em to the Hospital Wing," he grunted to Sam, who followed suit with Astrid. The crowd parted like the Sea of Moses and watched, silent.

Cas was waiting for them in the Hospital Wing, his face grave. "I should have known," he murmured. "It is our own fault that we weren't prepared."

Dean had to agree with Cas. And now, he had no idea what had happened to the two students, but he knew that people were getting hurt and that he had to fix it.

* * *

"I'm telling you, it has to be a new type of demon!"

"It can't be a new demon!"

"It has to be! It looked like one but it didn't react to iron, so-"

"But what are the odds-"

"Boys!"

Dean and Sam both snapped up to attention. Professor Toothiana Hy Loo stood in front of them, her hands on her hips, glaring up at them.

"Sorry," they muttered as one entity. Toothiana was small, but she could be scary.

"Good. Now, let's keep our heads about us and consider _all _possibilities. After all, students have been hurt, and we can't afford to let this calamity continue under our very noses…"

"Right," Dean muttered. "So say it was a new demon..."

"Have ya ever come 'cross a new demon species 'fore?"

"Never before," Sam confirmed. Bunnymund's eyebrows rose and he settled back in his chair.

"Say it's a new kind of demon. If I were a new kind of demon, I'd get out as soon as possible and start possessing the right people. The question is, why doesn't this 'new demon' possess anyone?"

"If _I _were a new demon," Cas put in, "I believe that I would attack as many people possible. Possessing someone would be too risky. There would be the chance of getting caught, so instead, I would spread out my attacks."

"You'd be unpredictable," Dean summarized. The gravity of his statement hit the whole room. A whole new kind of demon, a whole new kind of crazy…

"We'll work it out. Like we always do." Dean's muttered reassurance was spoken half to himself.

* * *

Her tangled braid trailed down to her waist and the meager wand light in front of her shook with her trembling hand. The corridors were dark, uncertain places where unknown predators like Pitch Black could be lurking around every corner. With each step, her anxiety increased, until she could swear that every little creak was a professor and every thump of her heart was a footstep that was seeking her out.

Rapunzel could barely breathe as the door of the Hospital Wing swam into view. She dared to look around before flicking her wrist to turn the doorknob. Pulling the entry open, she rushed into the room and sank to the floor, breathing hard.

"I made it," she mumbled, hardly believing it. After a few short breaths, she straightened up and went to business.

First was finding the victims. It was easy enough; the single torch burning on the wall led her to a curtained area. Inside, the three students lay on beds next to each other. _Perfect._

Now to unravel the hair. Rapunzel tugged the tie off and her golden locks cascaded down onto the floor. She decided to wrap it around each student's hand, because there wasn't really a specific area that had been injured.

First was Jamie, then Astrid, then Flynn.

_Flower gleam and glow,_

_Let your power shine._

_Make the clock reverse,_

_Bring back what once was mine._

_Heal what has been hurt,_

_Change the fates' design._

_Save what has been lost,_

_Bring back what once was mine-_

_What once was mine…_

* * *

Madame Pomfrey swept into the Hospital Wing at six in the morning. It was time for the daily checkup, although she doubted that there would be any change among the invalids.

Oh, wasn't she in for a surprise?

"Did you hear the news?"

"Astrid and Jamie-"

"Flynn! He's back-"

"How did-"

"They're healed!"

The school was simply buzzing with the news of the healings. Everybody knew, and everybody questioned the victims and speculated about the cause and guessed and wondered and pondered-

And the whole day, Pitch Black glared at Rapunzel. And the whole day, Castiel stared at Rapunzel. And the whole day, Rapunzel recalled Mother Gothel's warnings and she knew that she had to keep her secret hidden.

After all, Mother knows best…

* * *

**A/N: I'd like to thank all of the reviews, follows, and favorites for my story. Honestly, you guys make my day. Love ya!**

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**Flo U. W. Holmes: Here you are, m'dear :) Ah, yes, Sammy and Hiccup. I think you have good cause to be worried...(dun dun dun)**

**princess slaya: ;) **

**A.A.: Thank you so much! :D I love reading your reviews, and I am so glad you enjoy my writing :) Stay awesome, dude.**


	14. Gryffindor vs Slytherin

**A/N: So sorry for the late update! I got caught up in a bunch of different activities and I'm so sorry :(**

**Here's the next chapter. It's somewhat short; more of a filler.**

* * *

It had become something of a tradition to meet up early in the morning, especially when Quidditch was involved. That, however, didn't mean Merida approved.

"Why d'we have to wake up so _early?" _she groaned, sprawling her head back in the chair.

Jack shrugged. "Ask Goldie. It was her idea."

Merida tried glaring at Rapunzel, but her friend was simply too cheerful to be angry at.

"I thought we could all just meet up and offer encouragement to the Quidditch players," she explained.

Dean yawned. He had stayed up till one in the morning discussing the healings with Sam and Cas, and he had already interrogated the four on their theories. So far they had jack squat, and besides, he wasn't particularly enthusiastic about the Quidditch match.

"Why aren't you nervous?" Merida demanded of Jack. Jack grinned and flicked her hair.

"I love Quidditch matches. Why would I be nervous?"

Sam, Dean, and Cas had never seen Jack fly before, and Cas looked up from watching the fire. "Are you a very good flier?"

"He's amazing," Hiccup replied for Jack. "The best."

"I'm not that good," Jack protested, his pale cheeks slightly pink. He glanced at Merida with a slight smirk. "Somebody looks nervous, I think."

Merida crossed her arms with a huff. "Shut yer cakehole. Aye'm not nervous! Just you, watch, Frost."

"We'll see, Ginger. We'll see."

* * *

The Gryffindor team locker room's atmosphere was thick with tension. Dean, he had to admit, was a little nervous by that time. Merida and Albus- the team Seeker- kept pacing back and forth systematically, muttering to themselves. It certainly didn't help to ease the tension.

"_Stop it, _would you? You're gonna make me puke," he muttered thickly. Merida groaned and sat down, instead fiddling with her broom.

"All right," James Potter murmured. The players snapped to attention. "Listen up. This is the first game of the year, so we're going to try and get off to a great start. Just do everything we did in practice, and we'll be fine. Let's go."

"C'mon. Let's kick some Slytherin ass," Dean murmured. Merida gave him a terse thumbs-up. The team stood as one, brooms in hand, and lined up at the door. Muttered _good luck's _were heard all around, and then the doors flew open.

In the stands, their classmates and professors cheered wildly. Thousands of red-and-gold and silver-and-green flags fluttered in the wind. There was a chant of _Go, Gryffindors! _Merida swallowed her anxiety and waved back at her friends as they marched onto the field.

James shook hands with Scorpius, the captain of the Slytherin team. Merida steeled herself, exchanging an anxious glance with Jack, who stood behind Scorpius.

They kicked off from the hard ground.

"And the players take their positions as Madame Hooch steps onto the pitch! Remember, catching the Snitch gets you one hundred and fifty points for your team and ends the game."

"_I want a nice, clean game. From all of you," _Madame Hooch called, releasing the Snitch. It whizzed in front of Albus, and then Jack.

Merida gripped her Beater club tightly in her hand and commanded herself to focus on the Bludgers. She looked downwards at Madame Hooch, who heaved the Quaffle up.

"Madame Hooch releases the Quaffle, and the game begins!"

The ball spun upwards. It rotated once, twice, reached its peak, and fell downwards- with it, the Chasers shot down. It was an instant free-for-all. Merida could barely see what was happening between the blurs of greens and reds, and when a black ball nearly whumped Albus's head off, she realized her mistake.

Before she could reach the Bludger, Dean's bat swung at it furiously and it ricocheted off towards Scorpius, Slytherin's Keeper.

"Thanks," Albus gasped to Dean. Dean smirked.

"No problem, Marie Antoinette." Albus glanced back at him, confused, but Dean had already sped off.

"_What?" _Albus shook his head. "I did not get that reference," he muttered, drifting up to watch the field.

"And Astrid Hofferson bats the Bludger straight into Lily Potter- _oh, that looked painful- _I do hope she makes it out okay- Potter drops the Quaffle, goes straight to Eve Hallows- nope, intercepted by Potter's cousin Hugo, nice catch, Hugo! Weasley tosses it to the other Weasley, Rose SCORES! That's ten points for Gryffindor, folks!"

Gryffindors screamed with delight, completely drowning out the Slytherin's disappointed moans. "_Go, Gryffindor! Go, go, Gryffindor!"_

Merida fist-pumped in victory. A green-and-silver blur passed close by her. "Don't get too cocky, Ginger."

Merida stuck her tongue out at Jack playfully. He winked at her.

The next few minutes, Merida saved Albus's life three times. "Ye're just a Bludger magnet, aren't ye?"

"Oh, yeah, you bet I am," Albus grumbled.

"Chin up! Seen the Snitch yet?"

He shook his head, circling the pitch like a vulture. So far, Gryffindor was leading, 60-50, but if Albus didn't catch sight of the Snitch soon, the tides could turn any time.

"…Du'Jour grabs the Quaffle, dodges Weasley and Potter, dives down- barely evades the other Weasley- oh, that's a nasty hit to the shoulder, is James out for the count? Du'Jour feints, is she gonna shoot? Potter looks confused- she shoots- Bella Du'Jour SCORES! And the score's all tied up!"

Jack wiggled his eyebrows at Merida and looped easily under her. She could barely take her eyes off of him; he was such a great flier! It was like his broom was a part of him. He was utterly comfortable in the air. All of his movements were loose and easy, completely natural.

"What's wrong, Ginger? Chasers didn't train hard enough?"

"Rack off." She shot a Bludger towards the Slytherin Keeper.

"…the score is tied, 70-70. This is a tight match, it really is- has Potter caught a glimpse of the Snitch?!"

Albus had been hovering above the stands, and now he was hurtling straight downwards. Merida had to admit, he was an amazing flier too- he pulled up right before he planted himself onto the ground, and, horizontal, chased after the tiny golden ball taunting him.

As the Snitch led him across the field and up and down, Jack joined the chase. His broom easily outflew Albus's in speed. The Snitch led them through the hoops, and they weaved in and out like hummingbirds.

"_Jack Frost! Jack Frost! Jack Frost!"_

"_Go, Gryffindor! Go, go, Gryffindor!"_

"-Frost dives, Potter follows-"

They dove straight down once more for the last time. A foot from the ground, Albus finally pulled up, and Jack kept going- he was going to hit the ground-

Merida covered her eyes, unable to watch. All of a sudden the green-and-white stands exploded with cheers and screams, elated chants and yells. Flags and scarves waved wildly in the air.

"_Jack Frost! Jack Frost! Jack Frost!"_

Merida took her sleeve from her face. Jack was hovering in the air with the Snitch fluttering in his right hand. He was perfectly unscathed.

The first thing she felt was relief. And then, she felt fury. "_Aagggh!" _She pounded her fist into her broom and swung at the air with her bat.

"Can't win 'em all." Merida shrugged Dean off and continued glaring at Jack. Why did he have to be such a show-off, and why did he have to be so good at everything- and so funny- and…

"Aye hate him."

Dean gave her an unreadable glance. "No, you don't."

"What's 'at s'posed to mean?" She sped away before he could reply and landed ungracefully on the grassy pitch, nearly pitching forward.

"Whoa there," that obnoxious, ridiculously melodious, husky voice told her. An arm pulled her back, saving her from faceplanting

"Don't need yer help," she muttered. But she had to admit, it felt kind of nice, being helped up…_shut up, _Merida told herself. But it certainly didn't help when Jack kept his arm curled around her.

"That was a good game, yeah?"

"For ye and yer Slytherins, maybe." But looking up at his smirk, close enough to count the freckles on his nose, she felt her anger dissipating away.

"All righ'-" she pushed herself away- "Aye'll give it to ye. Good game."

"Jack, that- that was amazing!" Cue excited, pretty blond girl.

"Punzie!" She spun into him giggling.

"You're such an incredible flier! It really was remarkable."

"She's right, you know," Sam chuckled, his hands in his robe pockets. "You are an amazing flier."

"I concur," Cas put in, in that funny way of his.

"Thanks," Jack replied sincerely. He did a quick head count- Merida, Rapunzel, Sam, Cas, and Dean, _talking eagerly_ with some Slytherin girl- and realized who was missing.

"Hiccup." His face fell. "Hiccup missed the match?!"

Sam glanced around. "Um, I guess so? Sorry, man. Didn't really watch the kid that closely…sorry."

"It's okay." Jack shrugged off Sam's multiple apologies. What was wrong with the Fishbone? He was always disappearing off to somewhere…

"That's terrible!" Rapunzel's face always showed honest emotion, and right now it was disappointed- and angry.

"You know what?" She frowned. "I'm having a talk with him."

"Punz, it's all right, honestly-"

"No! No, it's- it's really not!" Rapunzel ground her teeth.

Jack shrugged. "Look, meet me in the Gryffindor dorms in ten minutes." His face shifted, so that he looked slightly stricken. "I gotta escape the fangirls."

Merida snorted. "Ain't like ye have any…" She caught sight of a group of Slytherin girls running onto the field screaming. They looked like frenzied dogs.

"Never mind," she muttered, eyes wide. "A'right. Ten minutes it is, then. Let's 'ave a little celebration, ay? It'll have to be small- or the Gryffindors are gonna think aye'm a traitor."

"Ay." Jack flashed her a pearly white grin and disappeared among the crowd.

"Where _is _Hiccup?" Merida wondered, half to herself. Sooner or later, she would have to find out.

* * *

Cas barely got out of the dorms, managing to evade a gloomy prefect to dash out of the portrait hole. He made his way to the Owlery, heart pounding. Something told him that Metatron had replied. If he accepted, and they participated in the angel trials, Cas could fix the mess that he had instigated.

The tawny owl tried lashing out at him, but Cas was ready. He grabbed the letter rolled up to the owl's leg and skirted away from the angry bird. His fingers trembling, for some strange reason, he pried the letter open and scanned it anxiously.

_Hello, Castiel. How are you doing?_

_ I will get straight to the matter of importance. Yes, of course I will help you with the angel trials. There are too many angelic factions trying to gain control, and we must stop it._

Cas took a deep breath. Excitement grew in the pit of his stomach. He- he had a way to make up for the damage he had caused! It was extraordinary.

_On the matter of the trials: The first trial, as I have gathered from my writings, is to kill a Nephilim. Because you are a warrior, you must undertake this first trial and the ones after it, but beware- they are harder than you have ever imagined._

Cas took a deep breath. Angel trials. He would do them, and he would shut down Heaven. He ignored the strange foreboding feeling in his mind and started jotting down a response.

For once, he felt that he would come out on top.

…_although he doesn't know it now, he really should've listened to that sinister feeling…_

* * *

**A/N: Crappy ending is crappy :/ But hey, I managed to update! And, regarding updates, I hope they'll be more regular and quicker in the weeks to come. Again, I'd like to thank all of the alerts and reviews. In the words of Cas, "These make me...very happy."**

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**StreamsongHealer: Thanks for the review, amigo. Destiel actuallyis an OTP of mine- however, I think for the purpose of this fic, there'll be no more Destiel than what is included (and indicated) in the actual show. Thanks again, love. :)**


	15. Somnus aut Mortem?

**A/N: All right. Early update, woo-hoo! I think that this chapter is a bit more differently-paced than the others; I think overall, it's _faster. _And as a result, shorter. So let's get this party started!**

* * *

He was a tall, skinny man, quite handsome, his hands gripping his wand. "Come on," he called to someone behind there. "We're almost there, my dear!"

The woman behind him gasped for breath, nearly stumbling. She retightened her grip on the tiny bundle she held in her arms and nodded at her husband.

"How is our Seraphina doing?" he asked her quietly. She looked down at the baby girl in her hands.

"Sleeping." A smile graced her beautiful features and lit her whole face up. "We are almost there," she repeated.

"That's right." He curled an arm around her delicate shoulders, guiding her forward. "Almost there."

It happened in a flash of black. One moment they were trudging ever onwards, the other, there was a looming, hooded shape hovering in front of them. The woman screamed, the man pointed the wand at the shape- but he wasn't fast enough.

_"Avada kedavra!" _The voice of the Death Eater was a low hiss. In a flash of green, the woman fell to the ground, the tiny baby flying out of her arms…

* * *

"Anything. I'll do- I'll do anything, I swear it."

Kozmotis Pitchiner was hunched over on the hard ground, his shoulder shaking with dry sobs.

"Anything, eh?" The man standing in front of him wasn't quite a man. He was wearing an ordinary business suit, but his eyes were menacing. "Now that, darling, is one heck of a deal."

"What do you want?" Pitchiner looked up to meet the man's eyes. They flashed pure red for a single moment.

"Ten years from now sound good to you?"

"Ten years from now…" Pitchiner's eyes widened with realization. "My soul," he whispered. "You want my soul."

"Exactly. Caught on, 'ave you, sweetheart?"

They called the demon Crowley.

"Try and break the deal," Crowley warned, "and it'll be reversed before you can say King of Hell."

"…deal."

And a kiss to seal the deal, as the old saying went.

* * *

"How long?" Her silver eyes filled with tears as she held his hands in her own.

"Ten years. Let's make the most of them, yeah?"

* * *

"No! Daddy! Where are you going?" Ten-year-old Seraphina grabbed onto his robes, sobbing.

"It's okay, it's okay. Daddy has a business trip. I love you, Seraphina."

She smiled through her tears, unable to understand that this was goodbye. "Love you too!"

He took his wife's hand and they ambled into the forest. In half an hour, his time would expire. He took her face between his arms and smiled softly down at her.

"I am sorry, my dear."

"Why? Why did you have to do it?" Salty tears trickled down her cheeks. He wiped them away with his thumb, gently.

"You know that I love you more than anything else."

She gave into despair and he held her as she sobbed.

Thirty minutes later, he guided her away from him. She was shaking her head, her heart broken- and he couldn't do anything about it.

"Stay safe," he murmured. And he dropped dead.

* * *

"Ah! It was your husband, wasn't it? Made the deal for you?"

Crowley smiled at her for a brief moment, already anticipating her next move. She didn't disappoint; her arm struck forward with a knife. He twister her wrist and the blade fell into his hands.

"One of the three demon-killing knives." He chuckled appreciatively, then frowned.

"Sweetheart, I like your bravado, but I don't like backstabbers. You tried to kill me."

"You don't understand-"

"I made a promise," he growled between his teeth. "_Try and break the deal and it'll be reversed before you can say King of Hell."_

"So take me," she cried out, spreading her arms.

"All right." He snapped. "That's one Kozmotis Pitchiner alive. The body's two days old, isn't it? And where'd you put it?"

Near enough the crossroads. Pitchiner stumbled into the clearing, breathing hard. "No- what did you-"

"And that's one deal broken." Crowley smiled his treacherous smiled at Pitchiner and like a snake, reached out and grabbed his wife. There was a flash of white light, a scream, and the demon and the woman disappeared.

* * *

"_NO!" _

The memory box clattered to the floor. Pitch blinked hard and the world returned to normal. He was crouched in a dark corner of the headmaster's office.

He glared down at the box, gasping for breath, then at the door behind which he had found his memories amongst a billion others. He slammed his fist into the door. "_Happy memories. Ha!"_

* * *

Jack was late for dinner, as usual. This time, he'd been talking to Professor Toothiana after class about his Guardianship. He hadn't been able to gather any information on what his center could possibly be, and he was in a somewhat downtrodden mood.

He slipped past a suit of armor and waved to a small brown-haired girl in a portrait. Taking the last flight of stairs down, he readjusted his bag and turned the final corner-

And stopped. There was some kind of confrontation going on in front of him between Professor Black and Professor ManSnoozie. Sandy's charmed sand was flicking above his head in a thousand different shapes- flick-flick-flick. His hands were moving back and forth and gesturing wildly. And Pitch simply stood sneering at him. Jack was about to clear his throat.

Pitch suddenly burst. "That dream, those happy memories, they're over!" He raised his arms in the air. Jack barely managed to stumble back. The smoky, sandy forms of the horses were gathering in front of the Potions teacher; but they weren't forming any horses. Instead, they formed a bow-and-arrow set. Sandy glared up at Pitch and two bright whips appeared in his hands. Before he could react, Pitch pulled the arrow back and released it.

Jack's eyes widened and he vaguely heard himself yell. The arrow exploded against the teacher in an eruption of black particles. Pitch turned towards Jack and smiled, Chesire cat-like, and disappeared.

"You can't Apparate in the Hogwarts grounds," Jack murmured, swaying, in shock. He blinked hard and ran to Sandy, his own heart pounding. Sandy had to be alive, he had to-

…there wasn't a heartbeat beneath his pale fingers- "No, no, no-"

Jack's vision blurred slightly, with anger or shock or grief, he couldn't tell. He hoisted the teacher up and somehow staggered into the Hall.

There was silence.

"Pitch," he gasped. "Pitch-"

* * *

The Hospital Wing. It was bleak at its best, and now it was positively disconsolate. Soft sobs shook Rapunzel's shoulders. Merida rubbed her back soothingly, trying to comfort both her friend and herself. Hiccup stood by the bed, dazed. And Dean and Sam were talking quietly, somberly, with Cas.

Jack stood by a window, staring out, tracing patterns on the condensation. He wouldn't speak, just stare out silently.

The inevitable occurred; Madame Pomfrey took her hand from the bed and sighed. "I'm afraid he's gone. We'll have to announce it-"

"You can't," Rapunzel sobbed. "You can't."

Madame Pomfrey sighed. "I should talk to the Headmaster," she mumbled, and strode out. Jack turned around from the window, his face blank.

"Why didn't I save him?" A single tear tracked down his face and he looked down.

Sam sighed. He placed a hand on Jack's shoulder.

"It's not your fault, Jack. You can't save everyone."

"I- _I could've tried…"_

* * *

"I guess that was the straw that broke the horse's back, huh?" Dean muttered.

Cas faced him in the dim light of the empty classroom. "I believe it was the straw that broke the _camel's _back," he corrected. Dean rolled his eyes. "But, yes," Cas continued hurriedly. "I think this case should be one of our priorities. You know how powerful Professor ManSnoozie was, Dean."

"Reckon it was the sand-horse again?"

The door flew open and Sam stumbled in.

"Dude. Ever heard of knocking?" Dean took his brother in: panting, flushed, trembling. Instantly he was concerned. "Sam?" He reached out and grabbed his brother by the robe sleeve. "Sam- you're putting off heat waves. You needa sit down, man!"

Sam shook him off. "Look. Listen to me, Dean. We have to trust them. _You _have to trust them. Involve them in the case."

Honestly, Dean thought Sam was delirious. "Are you crazy? Sam, everyone we know, everyone we even involve _dies!" _

Sam looked him in the eyes. And Dean saw a little boy again. He saw his Sammy.

"They're important, Dean. Please?"

Dean visibly caved. "Fine. Get to bed, Jumbo."

* * *

That night, Dean called a meeting. The students had been confined to their dorms, but Dean slipped out and told Rapunzel, who told Cas, who told Hiccup, who told Jack, who told Sam. They gathered in the Gryffindor dorms, a little band of students from every House. It was midnight.

"What did you see, Jack?"

Jack was still a little traumatized, but he replied. "Pitch. And…some sort of smoke or something."

Cas, Dean, and Sam glanced at each other.

"What? Tell us," Merida demanded.

"It was a demon," Cas muttered automatically. The Four stared at him.

"Uh, what?"

Sam sighed. "Guys, I think we have some 'splainin' to do."

* * *

Hiccup rubbed his eyes. "So this school, Columbus, taught you about _demons_, and Hell, and Heaven- they're real? All real?"

"They are all real," Cas confirmed."

Having experience with non-Muggle creatures and places had prepared the four, but still; it was a lot to take in. "Aw, man." Hiccup groaned. "Information overload."

"So what are we gonna do about this problem?"

Six heads turned towards Rapunzel. The blonde looked scared, and sincerely determined at the same time. "We have to do _something._"

"Some sort of group, where we learn more about the whole demon thing- and how to fight them," Jack murmured.

"We should reform the DA," Merida pondered.

"What's that?" the three chorused. The four smiled at each other.

They had a problem, and they had a plan. They could do this.

_Right?_

* * *

**A/N: Don't be afraid to review ;)**

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**x-SilentPyro-x: Thanks! We'll see about your theory soon enough :) And thank you so much for making a picture, it means so much to me! :D**

**Flo U. W. Holmes: Thank you, dear! And, yeah, I just had to make Jack an amazing Quidditch player xD Thanks again!**


	16. Bumbledoor's Army

**A/N: *smiles sheepishly* Sorry for the late update, y'all. Swim practice caught up to me, and then, yesterday, THE TEASER TRAILER FOR HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 OH MY GOD SJDGSDIGHSDI SO EXCITING and my baby's all grown up and hot and diuhgidug**

**Ahem. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"I don't know."

"Fine. Cas and I'll take charge. I say we meet up today at Hogsmeade in a few hours."

"What timesit?"

"Uh- four. Four in the morning."

"Ugh."

"You up for this or-"

"Yeah. Yeah. There's this place- Hog's Head, I think? I dunno what it is with magic and pigs, but yeah, Hog's Head. What d'you say we all congregate there at 'bout eleven? Avengers assemble."

"It sounds like a plan to me."

"Yeah, I agree with Cas. Tell the others when they wake up."

* * *

The cold November wind nipped at the seven children's ears and noses- all except for the frosty boy. That one was its friend. It swirled over the seven, chilling them from head to toe and upsetting their scarves. There were so many bright colors on them, all different: red and gold, bronze and blue, black and yellow, green and silver. The wind had never seen such different children act as one entity, but this group- now, this group was unique. These seven stuck together. The students around them knew them well, waving and chuckling.

The wind followed them as they headed towards the outskirts of the village. It stopped outside the door of the pub they had walked into: _Hog's Head. _It eddied away from them again, on its merry way, but the children inside were not so carefree.

"Are y-you sure this is s-safe?" Rapunzel scooted closer to Hiccup, who had a fur cape on, and therefore was the warmest. She didn't much like the look of the place, which was dirty and dark, and suspicious-looking. Hiccup smiled at her reassuringly and took his wand out from his robe.

"_Lumos." _A bright, small, ball of light appeared at the end of his wand and cast light onto the table.

"Thanks."

"This isn't a good idea." Dean had his shoes on the table, arms crossed stubbornly. "I'm telling you, it isn't."

"And why not?" Merida's eyebrows quirked up. "Aye think it's a perfectly sound idea."

"Because this can't end well. Sam, Cas- it's _dangerous_, and I don't wanna get anyone hurt."

"Then why'd you involve us?" Hiccup leaned forward. Merida nodded.

"Whit he said. If ye're so opposed to us forming a group, then why'd ye gather us here?"

"Well, partly because Sam would've gone all Bambi on me if I hadn't-" Dean trailed off at the bitchface that Sam was giving him and looked down at the table.

He rubbed his temples and cleared his throat. "If we're gonna stop the attacks, we gotta form a team. And if we form a team, we should do it right," he admitted. "And you gave us the idea of the DA, what did it stand for again? Bumbledoor's army?"

"_Dumbledore's _army," Jack corrected. "So, we're doing it? We're _really doing it?" _His brilliant eyes sparkled excitedly.

"Yeah. We're really doing it," Cas confirmed. "We will teach you about the supernatural and how to handle it. We'll work together. And to do this…"

"We need a room. A meeting room." Sam glanced at his friends. "A meeting room to practice in. Because, look, this is gonna be like…"

"Like a revolution. Our own movement!"

The energy in the room thrummed. They would do it together. Stop the attacks all on their own, just seven students with one of the strongest bonds in the world holding them together. The bond of friendship.

"Let's do this!"

* * *

"Shrieking Shack!"

Sam shook his head. "No, too small. We need room."

"Maybe the Gryffindor dorm at night?"

"Nah. Too much noise."

"An empty classroom. Any empty classroom."

"That's good, yeah, but we need something constant. And noise-proof."

"This is hard," Merida huffed, trying to keep up with Dean's long strides. "What about…" she trailed off, eyes widening with the beginning of an idea. The others didn't notice, all busy bouncing ideas off of each other.

"-somewhere in Hogsmeade-"

"-what about Hagrid's hut-"

She rushed off past them, her red curls bouncing as she jogged off.

"Where's she going?"

Hiccup shrugged. "I dunno, mate. Girls," he mumbled underneath his breath. Jack grinned at him.

"Not like you rush off randomly on occasion or anything," he muttered, winking. Hiccup rolled his eyes, then jumped again with an idea.

"-Forbidden Forest!"

"-no, I know-"

And so, Merida's getaway went mostly unnoticed.

She sprinted through the doors of Hogwarts past several serious seventh years who were huddle around discussing N.E.W.T.S. and up several flights of staircases. The redhead skid to a stop just in front of the Fat Lady. Putting a hand on the wall to keep from toppling over, she gasped out the password- "Beyenor!"- and nearly fell through the Portrait Hole. She came to a stop in an awkward half-crouch inside the dormitory. Several first-years looked down at her, alarmed. She groaned and stretched out on the floor, panting, completely winded. "'S just me," she grunted. "Go on with yer games."

"Aye'm outa shape," she muttered half to herself. "Gotta get outside more." A worried face swam into view above her, bright green eyes and black hair all over the place.

"Merida? You okay?"

"Albus!" Just the boy she was looking for. She took the offered hand and pulled herself up. "Aye'm a'right, thanks fer askin'. Actually, aye was jes' lookin' for ye!"

"Oh! You have pretty good luck, then. I just came back in from Hogsmeade." Albus grinned at her disheveled state good-naturedly. "You wanna sit in a chair, or-"

"Sure." She flopped into a nearby sofa and gestured for him to sit across from her. He settled down and tried to flatten down his hair absentmindedly.

"So what was it you wanted me for?"

"Aye wanted ter ask ye something about the DA, actually. Aye gather yer father talks about it to ye sometimes?"

Albus nodded. "Yeah, he does sometimes. Why?"

"Oh, jes' for a research project. Did he ever tell ye where they would meet?"

"He did, actually. I was also pretty curious, and he would tell me all about their meetings." Albus tried flattening his hair again. "Him and his classmates, they tried brainstorming up ideas, and it wasn't until he had glanced at a map of the school that he had discovered the perfect meeting room."

"So whit was it?"

Albus's green eyes gleamed with what was unsaid. Merida knew that he had already gathered that she was planning some sort of meeting.

He leaned forward, Merida following suit.

"…_well, you want it for a meeting, don't you? The room, they call it the Room of Requirement. Walk past with only one thing in mind, and the Room makes itself appear- and it becomes whatever you want it to."_

Merida gaped. "It's like- _it's like the school wants us to fight back."_

Albus winked and leaned back. "Good luck with that research project," he said, voice back to regular.

"Thanks, Albus. Aye appreciate it." Merida beamed and, reaching over, gave him a happy slap on the shoulder. "One last thing- so where's this room again?"

* * *

"All right! Punzie, you memorized the directions?"

"Yup!"

"You're a genius, Merida," Jack told her.

"Finally, ye realize it."

"Although, you still need to learn how to use a hairbrush. Ow!" He chuckled and tried leaning away from the redhead's playful punch.

"You know, they're really enjoying this," Sam noted quietly.

"Makes it kinda worth it," Dean chuckled. His expression darkened. "If anyone gets hurt- _anyone- _we stop. Deal?"

Sam nodded. "Deal."

"_THIS IS SO EXCITING!" _Rapunzel squealed. And the other six had to agree.

* * *

_Flower gleam and glow,_

_Let your power shine._

_Make the clock reverse,_

_Bring back what once was mine._

_Heal what has been hurt,_

_Change the fates' design._

_Save what has been lost,_

_Bring back what once was mine-_

_What once was mine…_

The glow of her hair faded away. Rapunzel straightened, confused. Sandy was still comatose. In fact, there had been no change from the professor's state before she had sung and after.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she whispered and crept away in the dark again.

* * *

"So I heard that every Triwizard Tournament, you have something called the Yule Ball, right?" Dean raised his eyebrows at North.

"Yes! That is correct!"

Team Free Will glanced at each other. Cas had the idea of calling a teacher's meeting, and they had discussed the plan beforehand.

"What we were thinking," Sam began slowly, "is that we could have the Ball this year-"

"-because we know that whoever the enemy is, they never take only one victim."

"We can predict, in what I think is a fairly accurate way, that the creature will take another victim during the Ball, because they could use it as a safe, distracting cover."

The professors huddled together, murmuring the pros and cons quietly. Eventually North nodded and folded his arms. "We think is an excellent idea! Good cover for you and the creature. Also, great way to celebrate the spirit of Christmas! We have not had a Ball in many years, and this year's Christmas will be much improved."

"Oh, ye're not gonna go on about yer Christmas again, are ye?" Bunnymund rolled his eyes.

"But holiday season is wonderful! Christmas brings joy to children everywhere. Much better than Easter."

"And _how _d'ye reckon that, exactly?" Bunnymund raised his furry eyebrows.

Sam cleared his throat uncomfortably. Dean shook his head. Crazy magic teachers.

"Look, hate to interrupt, but I'm turning in. Don't wanna fall asleep in Potions and get detention for another month." Dean shot a dirty glare at Pitch, who was hovering silently in a dark corner, not participating in any conversation. "G'night, North."

"So, the Yule Ball is on?"

"The Yule Ball is on!" North confirmed.

It finally felt like they were getting somewhere.

* * *

**A/N: I'll definitely try to update more regularly. That'll be easier after the state meet, which is the final meet of the season for swimming. In the meantime, cross your fingers and hope that I update again next week :) And also, ****I think that the Yule Ball part will be in about 2-3 chapters. **

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**Flo U. W. Holmes: Well, here you are! And I think you guessed correctly about the DA!**

**Guest: I KNOW, SO EXCITING, RIGHT?!**

**ArabianDragon: Thank you so much! And, yeah, Bumbledoor's Army ;)**

**Guest: *insert Benedict Cumberbatch saying oh my god* How did you guess my plans for the ball? You must be psychic. Yeah, that's it. You're psychic. And about the Ball pairings, well...you'll just have to see.**


	17. Secrets Abound

The second match of the year pitted Ravenclaw against Hufflepuff. Two days before the match, during the Ravenclaw team's last practice before the team's first game, Hiccup was unaccountably nervous. During practice, he'd been able to catch the Snitch fairly quickly, and as far as he could tell their Chasers, Beaters, and Keeper were doing their jobs very well. So why did he have a bad feeling about the upcoming match?

He took a deep breath and poked at his sausage. Now it was the morning of the match. His friends had wished him good luck, but he was still tense. The letter from his father lay open next to the plate. His dad's messy scribble had said that while he was proud of Hiccup for making the team, he also expected results from the short fifteen-year old. Hiccup felt pressured, but then again, when was he _not _pressured by his dad?

At least he wasn't the only one having parent troubles. Merida, whose parents had recently received a complaint about her wandering through the castle after dark too many times to count, had gotten a Howler from her mum.

"YOUNG LADY. HOW _DARE _YOU DISOBEY YOUR ELDERS REPEATEDLY?! MARK MY WORDS, YOU _WILL _GET PUNISHED FOR THIS! AND FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, STOP TRYING TO GET INTO TROUBLE! YOU'RE GOING TO TURN MY HAIR WHITE WITH ALL OF YOUR SHENANIGANS!"

After which, the letter had ripped itself up angrily and floated down on the table. Merida had gaped at the shreds for a few seconds, her ears bright red, the whole Hall staring at her. Then she'd stormed off, her eyes screaming _murder._

And now, next to him, Sam was buried in a book. "Really?" Hiccup asked him weakly.

He looked up at the Viking and shrugged. "Keeps me distracted."

Of course, in reality, he was researching different types of demons. While the books back at the bunker had given him access to a huge range of resources, the Hogwarts library had books that were centuries old. He was now going through the Restricted section, a note from North ready for the vulture-like librarian, hoping to find some obscure bit of information. So far he had zilch, but he kept looking. Dean was helping, too, in his own way.

The older brother, who'd asked Albus about his father, had written to the famous Harry Potter about their problem, making sure to keep the details hidden. He hoped that the Ministry worker would be willing to help, because so far they didn't have the tiniest lead on the current situation. Cas was trying to help, but Dean understood that the angel's problems were also quite dire.

Cas, in the meantime, had been corresponding with Metatron. The scribe told him that they would meet that evening and begin the angel trials. Cas had been warned that the trials were not for the faint-hearted – and that they would take a huge amount of effort both mentally and physically. But Cas's mind was already set: he _would _complete the angel trials and fix everything, no matter the situation. So that night, he would travel out of Hogwarts and meet Metatron in Kansas.

The Quidditch match held a place of very low priority in his mind. But this wasn't the case for the other students.

Rapunzel, for example, had made two huge banners. One said GO HUFFLEPUFF, and the other, GO RAVENCLAW. A Ravenclaw prefect had bought the Ravenclaw banner from Rapunzel, and the blonde had kept the banner for her own House. The spirit had caught on amongst the students of Hogwarts and soon, more banners were being made and scarves were being knitted and badges were being enchanted.

As the Ravenclaw team stood at the doors of the ready room, the team captain, Annabeth Chase, at the very front, Hiccup braced himself for the loudness of the stadium. The students didn't disappoint. Hiccup swore that the sheer noise they were making nearly knocked him off his feet.

"_Ra-ven-claw!"_

"_Huff-le-puff!"_

Annabeth shook hands with Susan, the Hufflepuff captain. Sam nodded nervously to Cas, who was as calm as always. Hiccup took a deep breath. His first match of the year. He hoped to start it on a good note…

* * *

Rapunzel absentmindedly patted Hiccup on the back. He was hunched over in the Gryffindor commons. Needless to say, the match hadn't gone very well.

They were usually a very solid team. But somehow, today they'd fallen apart. He didn't know how or why; all he knew was that Castiel Novak was a Snitch-catching machine. The match had lasted all of five minutes, during which the Ravenclaw seeker had let the ball in twice, and the Ravenclaw Chasers fumbled the Quaffle at least once. And then, of course, there was the post-game incident.

He had been in the air, too busy anguishing over his defeat and _what-would-his-dad-say _ to see. But he gathered that something had happened to the younger Winchester. Jack and Merida were currently in the Hospital Wing, figuring it out. Rapunzel informed Hiccup that she hadn't been able to see, either, but Sam was okay and she didn't see what all the fuss was about.

After Hiccup had sufficiently recovered from the near-disastrous match, Rapunzel went with him to the Hospital Wing. It was, unfortunately, locked. Rapunzel decided not to unlock it with _alohomora _because something confidential must've been going on. A picture of an old woman outside the room watched them and _tsked. _

"Children," she admonished. "Getting into such trouble. In _my _day, we listened to our elders. We didn't argue with them, for heaven's sake!"

"Who argued?" Rapunzel was curious now.

"A child in the Hospital Wing. Looked quite ill, I'd have listened if I were him," she sniffed, waving disdainfully towards the closed door of the Wing with her handkerchief.

"What did he look like?"

"My dear boy." She glanced down her nose at Hiccup. "I have better things to do than describe the profiles of unruly young men!"

And with that, she turned around and busied herself with her cup of tea. Rapunzel mouthed _touchy _to Hiccup and was about to push the doors open when they thudded open on their own.

Of course, it was Merida, whose customary way of opening doors was throwing them open so that they banged off the walls. Jack followed in her wake. In the brief moment before the door closed again, Rapunzel and Hiccup got a brief view of Professor Tooth, whose arms were folded. The snatch of conversation that came with the image went like this:

Tooth exclaimed, "Don't be ridiculous, I _saw _what happened!" The response was muffled by the bang of the door shutting again, but it sounded like a male voice that replied.

"What's happening?"

"Let's get to the common room, lassie. We'll tell ye there."

Merida glanced around, shifty-eyed, and strode back to the Gryffindor commons.

Once everyone had taken a seat, she began, Jack interrupting sometimes to add in anything she didn't mention.

"So the game ends, and everyone touches down, right? Well, summat happened to Sam, an' they had to take him to the Hospital Wing- but ye already know that. They let us in- aye woulda' gone in even if they hadn't- it looked like he was arguing with 'em. Sam, aye mean. Tooth wanted him to stay, but he kept sayin' he was fine-"

"Dean was on her side," Jack added. "He looked pretty worried. I dunno, it looked weird to me."

"Wonder what happened to him," Merida muttered.

"Who knows, with them? They seem to have so many secrets," Rapunzel murmured, frustrated. However, the irony wasn't lost on her.

* * *

Cas sat on his four-poster bed in the Hufflepuff commons, composing himself. Whatever had to be done, he would do it.

He flew out and landed at the place Metatron had prescribed. It was a small restaurant, and the scribe was sitting across from the chair Castiel had appeared in.

"Hello, my friend."

The first task was to kill a nephilim. And by midnight, Cas was back at Hogwarts. As Dean would've said: One down, two to go.

* * *

Than night, it started snowing.

The snow was pure and soft. It swirled about the enchanted castle, painting its canvas white and stripping the trees of any color.

And yet, though it purified the land, there was a spot near the Forbidden Forest that was tainted. When the snow landed there, it felt the disturbance. There was something twisted about it, some shadow lurking in the distance, and the wind was agitated because it felt it too.

There was a storm brewing.

* * *

**A/N: Filler chapter, I know. And, yeah, the update might've been a _little _late. Ha. Ha ha. **

**But that aside, I have a request to make. As you know, the Christmas chapter will be up soon. Any suggestions you have, anything you want to see, anything you don't? I want to see your opinions, people. This Christmas chapter is going to be epic! And yes, you were supposed to read that in North's voice.**

**Replies to reviews:**

**Meercatwhisperer112: I agree, very much. Jack was always the original bby. And yes, I'm sure they're all gonna be overwhelmed with giggling girls and possibly some love potions**

**HainsWind: My pleasure. Thank _you _for reading the stuff that my brain spouts :)**

**randomobsession123: Not to worry, m'dear, there will always be an update, no matter how late. At least, until the story ends- but you get the point.**

**Misha's Second Breakfast: Your username is fantastic. Honestly. And thank you so much! I am a girl who loves many, many, things. And, y'know, I can't help but combine them occasionally.**

**Guest: Don't worry, you'll see a lot more of that, trust me. Albus and Merida, in my headcanon world, would be bros. Thank you!**


	18. Boggarts and Bears and Dances, Oh My!

It all started with a banging in the wardrobe.

Rapunzel, who remembered her third-year lesson all too well, gave the others a brief, nervous glance. They were too focused on the wobbling wardrobe to notice.

The DA reform was a go, and they were having their first meeting today, December thirteenth, at eleven thirty at night.

Dean and Sam had decided to start with psychological training. The first lesson, they decided to review boggarts, the nasty little shape-shifting creatures that became whatever you feared most. Sam had given Dean the charm to get rid of them, _Riddikulus. _Dean though the names of the charms they were learning were pretty _riddikulus, _but he didn't comment.

The Room of Requirement was a life-saver. There were practice dummies lining the room, plenty of space for spells to be thrown about, and the wardrobe, which had been moving around from the start.

"Are ye sure this is a good idea?" Merida clutched her wand nervously in her long fingers. Sam gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do fine."

Dean stepped out from the huddled group and addressed the four. "Alright, people. As you may know, this is a boggart, and-"

"Don' waste yer breath, laddie, we already learned this stuff two years ago."

"_As I was saying,_" Dean continued with a reproachful look at Merida, "the trick for getting rid of 'em is- yes, Rapunzel?"

Rapunzel, whose hand was outstretched and waving frantically in the air like she was in class, put her hand down and promptly spouted, "The charm that repels a Boggart is simple, yet it requires force of mind. You see, the thing that really finishes a Boggart is laughter, so what we need to do is force it to assume a shape that's amusing."

"…did you memorize that? Pretty impressive, Miss Tangled."

Sam cleared his throat. Dean glanced at his brother and then hurriedly continued.

"Punz is right, the thing that _really _finishes a boggart is laughter. And another thing, there are so many of us that soon, it'll get confused; won't know what shape to take."

"That means that we'll have the advantage," Sam continued. "So- Merida, you're at the front of the room, why don't you go first?"

Merida started. "Oh- er, a'right, I suppose," she mumbled.

"Okay, everyone stand back a little, give her some room- yeah, that's good. Sam, ready?"

"Ready- Merida?"

Merida bit her lip a little nervously. "Ah hate boggarts," she admitted.

"No worries, Princess," an easy voice told her. Jack winked. "I think you're brave enough. Besides, that mane of hair would scare off any vile predator that dares to cross your path."

"Oh, shut it," Merida griped, her cheeks stained with pink. She held her wand out, taking a deep breath…she knew what would come out from the wardrobe, after all-

Sam's wand shot red sparks and the doors creaked open just slightly. There was silence for a moment- the boggart was deciding what shape to take-

The doors banged open completely and the formless shape of the boggart took on something real. Something terrifying. Through the sudden fog that came from the wardrobe, a monstrous shape reared up- Rapunzel let out a soft yelp- twelve feet tall, its hide rippling with broken arrows and shields and swords, baring its long fangs and curling its freakishly long claws. A demon bear.

Merida gasped. "_Mor'du!"_

She instinctively backed away, as did the other six, her eyes widening. The boggart had taken a shape so real that her mind was frozen in fear.

"Merida! _Focus," _Rapunzel managed to call out, her voice trembling.

Merida raised her wand, still taking small steps backwards, her hand trembling.

"_R-r-riddikulus,_" she squeaked.

_Crack! _With the sound of a whip, the slowly advancing monster stumbled. All of a sudden, the animal was wearing a pink bonnet and a mammoth-sized lacy blue dress.

It looked absolutely ridiculous. The room echoed with roaring laughter; the boggart paused again, confused, and Dean shouted, "Hiccup! You're up!"

Hiccup walked forward resolutely. The bonnet-wearing monster rounded on him- _crack!-_ and in its place was a mammoth man with red hair and a beard and a Viking hat. "_How could you?_ You're not a Viking, you're not my s-"

Hiccup raised his wand hand up without hesitation. "_Riddikulus!"_

_Crack! _The man's mouth was taped shut.

"Rapunzel!" Rapunzel darted past Hiccup.

_Crack! _The boggart turned into a cloaked figure, one gaunt hand outstretched, gripping a pair of scissors. "Oh, Rapunzel…"

"_Riddikulus!"_

The figure stumbled on its own cloak, then fell forward, flat on its face. _Crack! _The boggart turned into a mangled corpse- _crack!- _a crawling hand- _crack!_-

"It's getting confused! Jack, quick!"

Jack leapt forward.

The boggart paused, then became a dark shape that flew into the wardrobe, deciding what form to take. Jack raised his wand.

The wardrobe creaked open once more. All of a sudden there was a small girl, brown-haired, big-eyed, standing on the floor- but the floor in front of the wardrobe was gone, and it had been replaced with ice.

There was another _crack, _but this time it wasn't the boggart, it was the ice. A spider web of cracks appeared underneath the little girl's wobbling ice-skates.

"Jack," she sobbed, her hands held out to him, "I'm scared."

Who was she- and why was this so familiar?

He slowly raised his wand up. All he knew was that the sight in front of him terrified him, and he had no idea why. He was frozen with fear, his wand hand shaking.

_**"-yes you do, you always play tricks-"**_

_** "-not this time. Let's play a game, you wanna play a game?"**_

The voices echoed in his mind, disembodied. What was happening to him?

He had forgotten that there was a boggart, that they were in the Room of Requirement. All he saw was the strangely familiar girl, holding her hands out to him, pleading for him to save her-

"Jack! Help me," she sobbed. The cracks beneath her skates widened. She was about to fall in, and Jack couldn't do _anything-_

He heard, as if he was very far away, Sam's voice: "Merida. Go."

He felt himself being moved to the side, and yet, all he could do was stare at the girl, who was so familiar and yet so unknown. He turned around, with an effort, to look at Merida, who had replaced him in front of the boggart.

_Crack._

The demon bear reared up once more, and now Merida, with no hesitation, yelled: "RIDDIKULUS!"

The bear donned its bonnet and night-gown again. Merida let out a great guffaw and the boggart exploded into a thousand wisps of smoke.

"Awesome," Dean said approvingly. He glanced at Jack.

Hiccup spoke. "Jack? Are you…alright?"

Jack felt his own cold hands clutch his head. "I'm fine," he mumbled. It felt like he had cotton stuffed in his mouth- it was hard to talk, hard to think.

They weren't convinced, he could tell. "Who was that girl, Jack?"

That was just the thing. He didn't know.

* * *

Merida glanced over at Jack. He was gloomily toying with something on his plate.

"He looks…miserable. Frosty's not usually like that," she confided to Dean.

Dean took a short look at Jack. "You're right. You're sure you don't know that girl on the ice?"

Merida shook her head. "He never mentioned someone like that. Ah'd know if he did."

She pushed her plate away from her, suddenly not hungry. This was an odd occurrence, as she was usually ravenous at breakfast, but there was something off about Jack. Merida hated to admit it, but it concerned her.

"Looks like North's gonna announce something," Dean noted.

Sure enough, the Russian stood up and clinked his spoon against a glass.

"Students! I would like your attention, please."

The noises of breakfast ceased around them as the students of Hogwarts turned to North. He cleared his throat. "I have something to say to you all. As you know, the Yule Ball is usually Triwizard Tournament tradition, yes? But this year, we have decided to have a Ball, to cheer students' spirits! If you want, you will invite partner to go with you. It will be a time to have fun! And what better fun than a dance on Christmas?"

The girls made pleased noises. A few giggles broke out among the hall. Of course, Dean noticed the many flirtatious glances aimed towards him –not that he minded.

"Dress robes will be worn," Professor Tooth began as North sat back down. "The ball is going to start at eight o'clock on Christmas Day, and will finish at midnight. And please, remember, it's a time to have _fun!" _Tooth smiled at the students and sat back down.

Whispers broke out among the hall as girls debated who were desirable dancing partners and who weren't. Merida groaned and stuffed a few rolls into her bag for later.

"Ah hate dancin'. O'course, ye won't have any problem finding a partner," she rolled her eyes. Dean winked.

"Maybe I should play hard to get, huh? Whaddya think?"

"Most girls prob'ly find that attractive as well. Ah say yes. It'll provide some entertainment, too," she grinned. Dean stood up with her as they walked together to Potions.

He wouldn't tell the four that it was really an undercover mission to find the attacker. Now _that _would just ruin all the fun.

* * *

Hiccup stuffed his cold hands in his robe pockets and ducked his head against the snow. Next to him was Rapunzel. They were walking to the Three Broomsticks because it was _way _too cold to be standing inside Zonko's listening to girls debating love potions without a warm butterbeer at hand. Hiccup glanced at his companion, who was gripping his robe sleeve so as not to get blown away with the wind.

"_Hic," _she bellowed over the gusts, _"have you asked anyone to the Ball yet?"_

Hiccup's stomach did an uneasy somersault. It wasn't like he could just _tell her: _"Oh, yeah, actually, I've just been working up the courage to ask _you!_"

"_Uh, not really_," he replied. She shrugged and glanced up at him with those huge green eyes. It had taken him four whole years to get used to the fact that Rapunzel was unaccountably pretty, and that he had absolutely no chance with her. She was the one he had met first on the train that fateful day years ago, and she was the one that made his palms sweaty just by smiling.

"_I've been asked once already," _she giggled. "_I felt bad saying no- Merida helped me along with it, though."_

Hiccup grinned, imaging the redhead yelling at some poor luckless soul, "She said no, now _shove off!"_

They reached the Three Broomsticks. He held the door open for her and then followed her inside. "Who was it?"

She looked back at him a little timidly. "It was, um, Scorpius, actually."

If Hiccup had been drinking butterbeer, he would've snorted it up his nose. "_What?!"_

Rapunzel laughed. "I dunno! I think he's been working up the courage to tell me. I felt really bad saying no, but, you know, _it's Scorpius."_

"Yeah." Hiccup shook his head. "I didn't know he was _that _crazy." He ordered two butterbeers and they sat down at a small table facing each other.

Rapunzel took a sip from her tankard. Hiccup couldn't help but watch her.

_Now, Hiccup. Do it now, without anyone watching you closely, without anyone to tease you for it-_

He took a great gulp of butterbeer to work up his courage. It sent warmth to the tip of his toes and he took a short puff of breath, steeling himself. Why was this _so _hard? And how was he even supposed to begin?

"So, Rapunzel," he started, "I was wondering-"

"Hiccup," Rapunzel interrupted, setting her butterbeer down on the table with a _clank_. Her eyes were wild, like she had suddenly decided to do something dangerous.

"Er, yes?" asked Hiccup, taken aback. Rapunzel usually wasn't so straightforward.

"Can I trust you? I mean, with a secret? I just- I don't know- I've been wanting to let it out for so long, you know? And I mean, you're my best friend, I can tell you anything, right?"

Did he just get friend zoned? "Uh, yeah, I guess," he said slowly, wondering what great secret she was about to tell him. He was half-relieved at not having to ask her out at that moment, and half-disappointed.

"Oh, good. I mean, it's just, I've never felt this way before, and it's so confusing- I just don't get it-"

"Rapunzel. What are you talking about?"

She stopped yammering, glanced down, took a deep breath, and looked up at him. Hiccup was reminded of how a few seconds ago he'd been steeling himself to ask her out to the ball…

Was she about to ask _him?_

"Well, I just- sometimes I look at him and he's just- I can't look away. And sometimes I think he likes me back, only, I'm too nervous to ask- I don't know what he does to me, but I think- I think-" she wrung her hand out.

Hiccup was officially confused. But then Rapunzel finished her thread of thoughts and all of his hopes went plummeting down to Helheim's gates.

"_I think I'm going to ask Jack to the Ball," _she confessed.

Funny. Just a moment ago it had felt like his insides were on fire from nerves. Now it felt like he'd been filled with ice.

"Oh," said Hiccup.

Rapunzel smiled up at him hopefully. "What d'you think? I hope he'll say yes!"

He didn't know what to say. "Good for you. I'm sure he'll say yes," he mumbled awkwardly and immersed himself in his butterbeer.

Rapunzel sighed. "I'm glad I let that out. It's just, he's so nice to me and – his eyes are so bright, and sometimes I just don't know…"

He let her ramble on about Jack's virtues and assured himself that yes, he was a failure.

Besides, how was he supposed to compete with Jack Frost?

* * *

Meanwhile, across Hogsmeade, Jack was having one helluva time.

Dean had challenged him, Sam, and Cas to a simple, yet endlessly entertaining game. It was called "Whoever's Been Asked Out the Most by the End of the Day Wins." Dean, with all of his lady-catching charms, was in the lead with thirteen girls. Sam was catching up, with ten, and Cas and Jack were tied at eight.

"They keep coming," Jack marveled.

Cas found his friend Seraphina, who waved to him, and left his three companions. The wind carried snatches of conversation from the two:

"So are you going to the ball, Cas?"

"Yes. Would you like to come with me?"

"Of course!"

Dean whooped loudly, scaring a first-year who was gathering up the guts to approach him, and flashed a very conspicuous thumbs-up at the angel. Cas gave him a slight smile and the two went off for butterbeer.

"Never woulda thought I'd see the day." Dean looked like a proud parent.

Sam caught sight of a sizable group of Slytherin girls giggling and fluttering their eyelashes at him. "C'mon," he groaned, and rushed off away from the girls.

"Hey, you're not gonna win with an attitude like that," Dean pointed out, following him.

"I'm sick of this ball stuff," Sam grumbled. Jack chuckled.

"It's only been a day since the announcement!"

"The fun's just beginning," Dean added wisely, catching sight of another girl who was staring openly at him.

"Why hello there," he grinned.

Sam had enough. He groaned again, rolled his eyes, and headed off towards the Three Broomsticks. Better being swooped on by a queue of girls inside than outside in the cold.

"I hate this ball stuff," he repeated half to himself.

Of course it wasn't so for all the others. _They _were having quite a bit of fun.

* * *

"Why do they have to move in packs?" groaned Hiccup, "It's like they're intentionally making it hard!"

"Fer all ye know, they are," Merida replied. She grunted, slamming her Potions book shut.

"Pitch is evil! Last week of the term, and what does he do? Assigns us homework! Bloody bampot," she growled, shaking her head.

"Say, Mer, did anyone ask you?" Hiccup asked, mostly to keep her from tearing the textbook apart.

She nodded gloomily, staring out the window where Jack was having a snowball fight with James Potter. "Yeah. Ah said no. Planning to go solo."

Hiccup raised his eyebrows, but didn't comment. It wasn't as if he had asked anyone yet.

Sam and Dean both came through the portrait hole, wet and sweaty. "Damn, that Frostbite throws a great snowball," Dean puffed, out of breath. Sam nodded and collapsed in an armchair.

"Dean, who're you going with?" Rapunzel, who was sitting in front of the fireplace with her Potions essay, asked to the tall Gryffindor. Dean shrugged.

"There are so many of 'em lining up, I can't choose."

"Good problem to have." Jack, flushed and panting, leaned against the portrait hole. He looked quizzically at Rapunzel.

"Punz, c'mon, term's nearly over! Live a little!"

Rapunzel reluctantly put her quill down. "I guess…"

He bounced over and pulled her up by her hands. "C'mon, outside, now. Snowball fight."

"You just came in from one," Rapunzel giggled.

Jack shrugged. "I'll risk being out of breath to let you have a little fun. Let's go!"

They dashed out of the commons, hands still linked. Merida looked after them with a distinctly disgruntled look on her face.

The rest of the evening passed quietly. Rapunzel and Jack were still outside with James by the time almost everyone had retired to bed. They eventually got shooed in by the teachers. James went straight to bed. Rapunzel followed Jack inside the Gryffindor commons to warm her hands a little before going to bed. Of course, she could thaw off in the commons of her own House, but, strangely enough, she was more familiar with the Gryffindor dorms than the Hufflepuff dorms.

Soon, she stood, ready to leave. "Wait," Jack called as she approached the portrait hole. "I need to talk to you. Alone."

The only problem about this was that they weren't alone. Merida, who had doggedly finished her essay with the excuse that there wasn't anything better to do, was finishing up when the three had come in. So she'd ducked below the backside of a couch and waited to see if there was anything worth listening to.

The redhead peeked out from her hiding place. Rapunzel turned around and raised her eyebrows.

"Alone?"

She took a step towards him. Merida felt like ripping her own hair out. The Scot could already guess what was going to happen…

"Rapunzel," Jack began, "has anyone asked you yet?"

Merida let out a completely silent moan.

She saw the blonde shake her head, a knowing smile on her face.

Jack smiled back and dropped the bomb. "Would you like to go to the dance with me?"

Merida sank back, her arms snaking around herself. She had known this would happen, so why did it still hurt?

Rapunzel let out a soft, giddy laugh. "O-of course!"

The redhead's face sank into her hands. Jack was ridiculously annoying. He was everything that she hated, and yet-

She heard the patter of feet, and then the portrait hole swinging open. Merida peeked out again. She was finally alone.

Merida stood, clenching her fists. What was he doing to her? Was she _jealous _of Rapunzel?

"_Argh!" _She punched a pillow, imaging Jack's face on it. _Whump. _She pummeled it again and again, until she felt just a little better.

Before she could think about the bloody dance again, she ran upstairs. Stupid Jack Frost. Stupid dancing. Stupid Yule Ball.

* * *

Three days before the dance, Hogwarts was as festive as Jack had ever seen it. Everlasting icicles had been attached to the banisters of the marble staircase; the Christmas trees in the Great Hall were bedecked with everything from twinkling candy canes to bewitched baubles that sang when tapped. The suits of armor would randomly start singing carols when someone passed by; it was quite entertaining, especially when Peeves the poltergeist would hide inside a suit and make up his own rude lyrics.

Meanwhile, the three "exchange students," Cas, Dean, and Sam, were still being flooded with requests from starry-eyed girls. Some of them were probably fans of Jack who had found out about him and Rapunzel going together.

Eventually, Sam got sick of it. That day he decided to ask someone to the Ball himself. He landed on Rose Weasley, partly because she was nice and pretty enough, partly because she was the only girl in the Gryffindor commons who wasn't giggling about what dress she was going to wear or who she was going with.

"Hey, Rose," he called out from his position by Dean and Jack's game of Exploding Snap. "Go to the Ball with me?"

Rose looked up, startled, but grinned. "Sure."

She turned to the tittering group of girls in front her- some of whom were now staring at her enviously- with the slightest smile on her face.

Dean looked her up and down appraisingly. "Not bad," he decided eventually.

Sam shrugged. "Hey, you better get a move on, or else all the good ones will be gone."

"Oh, I know who I'm going with," he proclaimed.

"Yeah? Who's that?"

Dean pointed towards the portrait hole, through which Lily Potter was halfway through.

"Her."

"Lily, huh? When did you ask her?"

Dean scratched his head. "Oh, yeah. Good point. 'ey, Lily! You wanna go to the dance with me?"

Lily laughed and shrugged. "Why not?"

Dean flashed her a thumbs up- "Cool-" and turned back to Sam, grinning. "Piece of cake."

Hiccup, who'd been sitting near the fireplace, let out a frustrated noise. "It's not! I don't get it. How d'you even _approach _them?"

"You just gotta- well, I guess you just gotta _do it_, y'know?"

"I guess," Hiccup moaned, sinking further down into his seat.

* * *

A day before the Yule Ball, sitting outside on the grounds, Hiccup finally snapped. "Alright, Haddock," he mumbled, giving himself a little pep talk, "they're _girls. _Just girls. Not dragons, not monsters, _girls._"

"Hiccup? You okay?"

It was Astrid. Hiccup, on the spur of the moment, spun towards her. "Astrid! Will you go to the Ball with me?"

_Holy Hel, what did I just do?_

Astrid blinked. And then, to his everlasting surprise and gratefulness, she nodded. "I guess."

"Oh. Oh, good. Thanks."

Astrid gave his arm a little punch. He yelped and she winked. "On one condition: if I go to the Ball with you, _you _gotta do better in dragon killing class. Deal?"

They shook on it, both grinning. Hiccup suddenly felt like a million bucks. "Deal!"

Thank God for Astrid. Although, he still felt a little twinge when he thought of a different blonde, one with green eyes. Well, you can't have everything in life. And, hey, at least he wouldn't look like a total idiot at the Ball.

Who knew? "Maybe it might actually be fun," he chuckled to himself, and rushed off to tell Jack the good news.

* * *

"Tomorrow is the day, my sweet. Tomorrow we launch our attack!"

The shadows danced around the assassin in the Forest's clearing. The killer smiled up at its master.

"Tomorrow," it repeated.

"Yes, darling. And tomorrow, you must kill the weakest one. Survival of the fittest." A dark chuckle sent several startled birds fluttering out of their perches.

"Yes, master," the assassin replied, and stood.

There was a long day ahead…

* * *

**A/N: The next chapter is the Christmas chapter! Woo hoo! Any other ideas? Last call.**

**On another note, well, this chapter was, I'd say, the most fun to write so far. Hiccup's such an awkward little cutie :) Meanwhile, there's Dean and his smoothness.**

**Replies to reviews:**

**randomobsession123: ;) finally, huh?**

**Meercatwhisperer112: Oh my gosh, I just got done with that series, nearly choked when they mentioned it on Supernatural :D And yes, I have decided, that will _definitely _happen next chapter. Thanks, darlin'.**

**FloralrmaTylee: Thank you! Appreciate the support. Have a cookie. (::)**

**All of sparklevampFTW's fantabulous reviews: Y'know, I'm just rereading your reviews and sitting here with the stupidest smile on my face. Just thanks. And I love you, kay?**

**Flo U. W. Holmes: You got one of your wishes granted! Jack and Punz. Although, we'll see if Merida can sweep him off his feet next chapter...;) And yes, I'll try and make sure that Sam's date doesn't die. No guarantees. Thank you, as always! :3**

**Misha's Second Breakfast: Here ya are, m'dear! And if you have been suddenly inspired with marvelous Christmasy ideas, then by all means, let loose. **

**Til next time, peoples! **


	19. The Yule Ball

"In, out, in out. In out, in out, tie the knot." S_nip!_ "Finished!"

A sigh. The dress lay spread on the chair, lavender and white lace and puffy pink sleeves. It was her best work and she smiled at it proudly. Rapunzel was about to slip it on, to twirl in front of the mirror and feel pretty, but the door slammed open as she was reaching for it.

"Punz! Punz, ye in here?"

"Yes," she called.

Merida sprinted into her view looking terribly dismayed. "Aye need yer help!"

* * *

"_Jack! _Jack, you there?"

"In here, Hic," he called.

Hiccup trotted in front of Jack. He looked absolutely crestfallen. "Need your help."

* * *

"Me mum sent me this dress. Bloody awful, isn't it? There's a damn _bonnet!_"

In the Gryffindor dorms, Rapunzel glanced at the dress with a critic's eyes and broke into a sunny smile. "No, no, absolutely not! Merida, this dress is beautiful!"

It was a lovely shimmering turquoise color with silver hemming. "Lucky," Rapunzel breathed.

* * *

"My dad sent me this! Isn't it _terrible? _There's a frickin' _skirt!"_

In the Ravenclaw dorms, Jack took one look at the dress robes and burst into laughter. "Oh my god, Hiccup, that is the _worst _pair of dress robes I have ever seen. It's _horrid!_"

It was a puce color and had _frills, _for god's sake. "You have the worst luck," Jack gasped out between chuckles.

* * *

"Here we go," Rapunzel hummed; "a little tightening here, a little loosening here-" she stopped and stepped back, then brightened. "Perfect! Let's get ready, yeah? I'll do our hair."

"Thanks, Punz. Don't know where aye'd be without ye," Merida muttered gratefully.

* * *

"Aren't you going to help me?" Hiccup gritted his teeth. Jack was too busy laughing. "_Fine. _A little cut here, and- _whoops-_ dang it." He stopped and glared at the ragged edge that used to be a cuff. "_Ugh, _this is terrible."

"Perfect," Jack sniggered. "Let's get ready, yeah? I'll arrange the funeral."

"_Thanks, _Jack. Don't know where I'd be without you," Hiccup bit back crossly.

* * *

Jack fidgeted. And fidgeted. And fidgeted.

"_Would you stop that?"_

"Sorry," Jack breathed. They were standing in the Gryffindor dorms. "It's just that- _oh."_

Hiccup gaped.

Rapunzel descended the staircase, her blonde hair braided up and floating behind her, ethereal. Her lavender dress descended to just above the knees, its beautiful color accenting her eyes perfectly. She wore simple purple flats, but somehow it was so _her_.

"Wow," Jack breathed. Rapunzel gave him a nervous smile and came to a stop in front of him, fidgeting nervously with her braid.

"Hi," she said softly.

"Punz, you- you look _gorgeous._" Rapunzel looked into his eyes, reddening.

"Thanks," she replied, and giggled softly, taking his arm. They walked out together. Above him, watching from the balcony, Merida's expression soured, resembling Hiccup's.

* * *

It was decreed that the Three New Kids, as a collective entity, looked absolutely dashing in dress robes.

Sam skirted around a group of openly staring Slytherin girls and made a face. Rose was waiting for him outside the Gryffindor dorms. She looked beautiful, wearing a floaty blue dress and white sandals.

"Hey," he smiled. She smiled back at him a little shyly and took his arm. Inside the room he saw Dean and Lily laughing to some joke. He caught Dean's eyes and nodded. Dean nodded back. They had a plan, and it would work. He would make it work.

He found Cas and Seraphina talking to each other quietly outside the Great Hall among the students milling about, waiting for it to strike eight. Rose waved to Cas and turned to Sam, excited. "This ought to be fun," she said. Sam nodded, although it was for completely different reasons.

The clock struck eight and the doors swung open.

* * *

"Oh, Astrid, you look gorgeous!"

"Not as much as you do," Astrid winked. She was dressed all in white and was on Hiccup's arm, who looked like he couldn't quite believe what was happening.

Rapunzel tightened her grip on Jack as they entered the Grand Hall, which was appropriately stunning.

The walls of the Hall had all been covered in sparkling silver frost, with hundreds of garlands of mistletoe and ivy crossing the starry black ceiling. The House tables had vanished; instead, there were about a hundred smaller, lantern-lit ones, each seating about a dozen people.

Rapunzel smiled at Jack's open face, wide with wonder. "Oh, wow."

Jack was eyed by several girls, most of them Slytherins. Rapunzel tried ignoring them, but it was hard- until Jack took her by the hand and twirled her. After that the Slytherins scattered, looking peeved.

Jack, Rapunzel, Hiccup and Astrid found the Winchesters and Castiel waiting by the steps for the music to begin. Compliments were exchanged and cheeks filled with color. The people kept filing in, couple by couple, group by group. North was wearing a grand set of red and brown robes, and Toothiana looked resplendent in gorgeous, bright, feathery robes.

It seemed that almost everyone was present, but there was a quite noticeable absence.

"Where's Merida?" They looked around as if she would magically appear.

A beautiful girl chose that moment to descend down the staircase. Her red hair was sleek and shiny, and twisted up into an elegant knot at the back of her head. She was wearing gorgeous turquoise robes that clung to her in all the right places, and she smiled at them, uncharacteristically shy.

"Oh my god," Rose breathed. "Is that _Merida?" _

Jack's jaw dropped. It was Merida.

"Hi, guys!"

They could only stare at her as she skipped down the last few steps. A few of the fifth-year boys had turned to her, staring as well.

Merida stopped in front of them. "Merida, you look absolutely gorgeous, did you know that?" Dean told her.

She smiled at him and then turned to Jack. To Jack, it was one of the most sincere smiles he had ever received from her. To her, it was one of the most hopeful smiles she had ever displayed.

Jack smiled back. Merida's hopes reared their wings for an instant. And then he gave her a slight nod and turned away to dance with Rapunzel.

* * *

Rapunzel gripped one of Jack's cold hands in one of her own and placed the other on his shoulder.

"You do know how to dance, right?"

"Yeah, I think so," Jack murmured back, slightly unsure. His hand hovered on her waist like he wasn't quite sure if he was allowed to touch her, but she giggled and drew him closer. All of a sudden, there was just an inch separating them, and she could count his every freckle.

"Now what?" Jack whispered. His breath was cold, like the winter air outside.

"Now we dance," Rapunzel replied simply as the music started up.

Jack was right, he did know how to dance. They twirled across the dance floor, gracefully and elegantly. Rapunzel beamed up at Jack.

"I'm getting the hang of it, I think," Jack called over the music. Rapunzel took a slight glimpse of the people around them. There was North dancing some sort of a jig with Toothiana, Dean smoothly dipping Lily, and Cas trying to dance with Seraphina.

"Yeah, you're getting it," she decided, turning back to him.

Unbeknownst to her, she was being watched.

* * *

It was probably his only chance with Astrid, and he was wasting it by doing nothing but staring at one of his best friends dancing with his other best friend.

_She's so out of my league,_ he thought gloomily. Hiccup's life sucked sometimes. Okay, most of the time.

Astrid was watching him, he could tell as much from the corner of his eye. "Are you going to ask me to dance or _not?" _

"Not," he muttered back before he had a chance to think.

"Great!" Astrid flounced away before he could react. Hiccup stared after her.

"Astrid, no, Astrid wait-"

She'd already been swept up by some Slytherin guy. Hiccup groaned and buried his head in his hands.

Eventually he looked up again and continued watching Rapunzel dance, her braid swaying behind her, her smile wide and sincere and her eyes glittering…

* * *

"Hey, Merida! Rapunzel's getting some drinks. She wanted me to sit down." Jack's cheeks were stained with color, a rare occurrence, and he was breathing slightly harder than normal.

"Dance takin' a toll on ye?" Merida asked him acerbically.

"Eh." Jack shrugged. Merida was sitting inclined against the table, her foot tapping along with the music. Obviously she wanted to dance, but… "Nobody asked you to dance yet, huh?"

"Yes, actually," Merida bit back, her eyes flashing. "Seven guys so far."

"Oh." Jack looked genuinely surprised. "Well."

"Ye would say tha'," Merida shot back.

"What? No, I wasn't-"

"Admit it, ye were implying somethin'," Merida snapped. "Ye think just 'cause Ah like Quidditch and hate hairbrushes means that no one likes me? Well, excuse _me, _Mr. Ah'm-Perfect, but tha' doesn't make me any less wanted. Ye geddit?"

"I didn't mean that!" Jack glared at her. Why was she acting this way? "Stop trying to make me sound like I'm victimizing you. I'm not, okay? It's just, I thought you didn't like all this dance stuff and-"

"Ah, yeah, 'cause _Jack Frost is a special sno'flake _who thinks girls hafta be _girly! _Well, ah'm sorry, Mr. _All-knowin' Popularity, _but Ah have an actual _personality_. And people like me 'cause of it, geddit? Ah dunno why all these girls wanna dance with you, 'cause with a personality like _that-"_

"You know what? If you don't want to be my friend, then _don't," _he snapped acidly.

"Fine!" she shrieked.

"Fine!"

Jack stormed away, too occupied to notice that Merida had been almost crying when he'd sat down by her.

"_You always ruin everything!" _he heard her sob. She stomped off, leaving him slightly confused, very irate, and just a tad guilty.

Rapunzel called to him from a different table. He rushed off towards her, glad to have some sort of distraction from his turbulently confusing relationship with Merida. "Butterbeer," she averred brightly and held the warm bottle out to him.

They sat at a table with Cas, who was waiting for Seraphina to come back with the drinks. The three had struck up a conversation about waltzes when Dean hurried by their table looking unusually worried. "Have any of you seen Sam?"

Jack looked around and realized that his familiar mop of brown hair was nowhere to be seen. Rapunzel and Cass shook their heads and Jack was about to follow suit when he vaguely recalled seeing him walk out into a hallway. Dean nodded and rushed off again to find Sam. Jack and Cas got up as well.

"I'll just be a moment," he told Rapunzel, who nodded in understanding.

They followed Dean out.

* * *

_It had been told to target the weakest one, and there it was, bending over, coughing up red._

* * *

Dean who was growing increasingly concerned. They ducked outside- no Sam.

* * *

_The glistening dagger was drawn from its sheath, handled gingerly to avoid the dragon poison that coated it._

* * *

Through a hallway- no Sam. In an empty classroom, on the staircase- no Sam.

* * *

_The assassin moved forward silently upon its unsuspecting victim. To kill, to maim-_

* * *

"Sam? _Sam?"_

* * *

_-to saw through bone and flesh, to watch the light die out-_

* * *

"Sam, where-"

* * *

_-this was its only joy. And now it was happy._

* * *

There, on the ground, a heap of black robes and long legs. "_Sammy!"_

Jack found himself frozen. Dean surged forward, and with him Cas, and together they turned Sam over until Jack forced himself to see, to find out, what-

Oh.

_Oh._

Blood. Red, sticky, blood, on the floor, on his dress robes, everywhere, except for his face, and his face was pale and cold and his eyes were closed.

"No." It was a statement, and it was in utter sangfroid that Dean said it; his long fingers flew to his little brother's wrist, then to his neck, then to his heart.

"CPR," Jack gasped out. It was the only thing he felt able to do in the circumstances. "CPR!"

It was all blurred in Jack's mind- the CPR was performed, to no avail. He had been a Muggle before and he knew what CPR was, that it could revive the nearly-dead, and he wished that he knew a spell, some spell, _any spell _to help but he was only a fifth year and they weren't supposed to train for people being stabbed out in deserted hallways.

"Found it," Dean gasped. "Found the pulse."

Jack let out a sigh of relief, but then he realized that Sam wasn't breathing.

"Cas-"

Cas moved forward, placed his hand on Sam's cold forehead. For the slightest instance there was hope blooming in Dean's eyes like a flower.

Nothing happened. Absolutely nothing.

Dean crumpled like the crushed flower that was his hope. He was breathing hard- Jack's vision shook- Dean gave his own head a shake. A _no, you can't just break down, Sam is still alive, you know he's alive, and now it's depending on you-_

Dean gathered his little brother up in his arms. He was light, lighter than normal and the task was bearable. Sam was lifted up in his arms, limp, unmoving, a life-sized rag doll.

He was numb. Dean was numb. He stepped forward, might've stepped a hundred times without realizing it. His only destination was the Hospital Wing. If magic had brought Sam down, then magic would bring him up. It _had _to, Sam couldn't just be dead, offed by some stupid killer at a school dance-

_You're thinking again, stop thinking, stop thinking, just stop._

Dean moved forward. How much had they been through together? _We'll figure it out, Sammy, we'll figure it out, just like we always do-_

They had attracted students. Oh no. Students that were looking for the source of the commotion, that were standing outside the dance floor. And what did they see? Nothing at all, besides Dean Winchester stepping forward with a blank expression on his face, his brother in his arms, bleeding out onto the floor, _drip-drip-drip._

There was silence, except for the regular steps that Dean took. Because if he didn't keep moving he'd have to think about what had just happened to his brother, his Sammy-

There was silence.

And then someone screamed.

Panic, instant panic. Someone called for a teacher, someone rushed forward, someone stumbled back. But through it all, Dean kept walking. He was nearly there, to the Hospital Wing, where they would fix Sammy up and make him good as new again.

A teacher tried to stop him. It was the Pooka, Bunnymund. Dean didn't register that; all he registered was that someone was taking his little brother from him and _he wouldn't allow that. _He wrenched himself away from the paws on his arm and started running towards the Wing.

He made it, stumbled across the threshold and gave Madame Pomfrey a shock.

"Fix him. You have to."

Sam wasn't breathing, Sam wasn't breathing, Sam wasn't breathing.

_Sam wasn't breathing._

* * *

**A/N: Dun dun dun. *evil face***

**Did I really just leave you there? Did that just happen? Did I really just update?**

**The answer is yes, and also, sorry for leaving you guys hanging for a month and a half.**

**This chapter was one of the hardest to plan out, but I think the finished thing reads as if it's a dream sequence, which is kinda cool if I do say so myself.**

**Also, who else is excited for THE NEW HARRY POTTER MOVIE? It's supposed to focus on the _Fantastic Beasts _textbook, which I am SO PUMPED ABOUT OMG**

**Replies to reviews:**

**FloralrmaTylee: Heh, it's quite adorable, isn't it? And, well, I guess you just found out. **

**Meercatwhisperer112: I know, but love triangles are so delicious for the writers, lol!**

**Flo U. W. Holmes: Here ya are, m'dear. Thank _you!_**

**Guest: Talk about a perfect brotp. And, well, you're entitled to your opinion, but I think hiccunzel is adorable lol**

**sparklevampFTW: YOU'RE AWESOME. and that is all.**

**yaoifan23: Thank you so much, friend!**


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